Department for Transport

Railways: Coronavirus

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of all emergency measures agreements on rail franchises since (a) 1 March 2020 and (b) 15 June 2020.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Payments made to Train Operating Companies from 1 March- 27 June are published on the gov.uk website, and further publication of payments beyond June will be made in due course. The publication shows that over the period from 1 March - 27 June 2020, the department had paid the industry £2.28bn in total. This figure includes the costs incurred by the two publicly owned franchise operators (East Coast and Northern) as well as payments to those in private ownership, and incorporates subsidy payments that (before the COVID-19 pandemic began) were expected to be made to some operators during this period.

Railways: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage passengers to return safely to rail travel as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We now understand the epidemiology of the virus better and can control it through targeted, local action. Our priority remains the safety of staff and passengers. We are working with rail operators to ensure passengers have the confidence to return to the railway, and continue to take all necessary measures to make rail travel safe. These include the installation of clear floor markings, the provision of extra staff to manage passenger flows and provide guidance, and the mandating of face coverings on public transport. We have also asked the rail industry to increase the number of services they run. Rail operators continue to assess local demand regularly and deliver the services passengers need. From 7 September, the railway has been operating 91% of its pre-pandemic capacity, providing frequent and reliable trains for passengers. To support a safe, green recovery and new working patterns we are also considering proposals to try to ensure better value and convenience for part-time and flexible commuters.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to change the DVSA driving test booking system to prioritise rebooking by people who had booked and paid for their tests prior to the covid-19 lockdown.

Rachel Maclean: Practical driving tests resumed in England on 22 July 2020. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) did prioritise driving tests for candidates who had booked and paid for a test before the COVID-19 lockdown. From 16 July 2020, the DVSA sent emails and text messages to those candidates in batches, and invited them to go online and book a test. Test bookings for new candidates restarted from 21 August 2020.

Bus Services: Coronavirus

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions has he had with the Confederation of Passenger Transport on the challenges facing the coach industry as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: The Department is in regular contact with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, hosted a roundtable with the CPT and coach operators on the 15 July, and on 13 August the Minister spoke with the CPT’s CEO to discuss wider issues facing the coach sector. Officials continue to meet with the CPT regularly to discuss a range of issues including the challenges facing the coach industry.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of potential new jobs that could be created through decarbonisation of the maritime sector.

Andrew Stephenson: In 2019, the Department published the Clean Maritime Plan, which notified the potential for clean economic growth in the UK as a result of the transition to zero emission shipping.Alongside the Plan, the Department published an assessment of the potential economic opportunities from low and zero emission shipping. While this does not estimate the number of potential new jobs that could be created through the decarbonisation of the maritime sector, it identifies a large potential global market for the elements of alternative maritime fuel production technologies in which the UK has a particular competitive advantage (for example, upfront design), which could result in economic benefits to the UK of around £360–£510 million per year by the middle of the century.Certain organisations within the maritime sector have publicly suggested that investment in maritime decarbonisation could create more than 15 thousand jobs as well as tens of thousands of jobs when considering the wider supply chain[1]. Industry research estimates that in 2017 the UK maritime sector as a whole directly supported more than 220 thousand jobs for UK employees[2]. [1] https://www.maritimeuk.org/spending-review/bid/[2] https://www.maritimeuk.org/documents/429/Maritime_UK_-_state_of_the_maritime_nation_report_2019_D17mVSQ.pdf

Travel: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence-based assessment he has made of the effectiveness of quarantine measures for people coming in to the UK from abroad in containing covid-19.

Andrew Stephenson: Throughout the outbreak, we have brought in the right measures at the right time based on scientific advice. Scientific advice can give us estimates of the incidence of coronavirus internationally and domestically, and ministers decide how to respond to the risk of imported cases based on this advice. The scientific advice shows that when domestic transmission is high, imported cases represent a small amount of the overall total and they make no significant difference to the epidemic. However, this can change when the domestic transmission/rate of infection is low, and people are arriving from countries with a higher rate of infection. Requiring arrivals to the UK to self-isolate for 14 days will reduce the risk of transmission from this group. These measures are to be subject to review every 28 days, to ensure they are in line with the latest scientific evidence and remain effective and necessary.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how an airline passenger flying from Northern Ireland to Great Britain can demonstrate to an airline that they are exempt from wearing a face covering for medical reasons.

Andrew Stephenson: The use of face coverings on public transport is mandatory in both Northern Ireland and England. Guidance for both Northern Ireland and England can be found at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-face-coverings and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own. Some circumstances make it difficult for certain people to wear face coverings. If a passenger has a condition which means they cannot wear a face covering they only need to say, if asked, that they cannot wear a face covering because they are exempt. The reasons for a person not wearing a face covering may not always be visible.

Travel Information: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) provide the public with the information necessary to confidently plan travel and holidays while staying safe during the covid-19 pandemic; and (b) communicate that information in a timely and accessible manner.

Andrew Stephenson: As we have consistently made clear, Covid-19 has profoundly changed the nature of international travel, and those who chose to travel should do so with their eyes open. It is right that we prioritise the health of the public. There is a tension between bringing in to force regulations at pace which are designed to protect the health of the public and allowing travellers and operators the chance to consider incoming regulations. Our current approach, a Thursday announcement followed by a Saturday coming in to force date tries to straddle those concerns. It is also an approach that has been agreed across the four nations, and takes on board operational considerations at the border. However, we reserve the right to bring regulations in to force quicker if their strong public health rationale to do so. Travel advice is available here: [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus] Advice on travel corridors is available here:[https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors]

Travel: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to mitigate the disruption caused by the closing of travel corridors; and what steps his Department is taking to avoid quarantine measures in the future.

Andrew Stephenson: We have consistently advised travellers that travel corridors can, and do change quickly. As the Secretary of State set out in the House on 07/09/2020 – there is a tension between bringing in to force regulations at pace which are designed to protect the health of the public and allowing travellers and operators the chance to consider incoming regulations. Our current approach, a Thursday announcement followed by a Saturday coming in to force date tries to straddle those concerns. It is also an approach that has been agreed across the four nations, and takes on board operational considerations at the border. However, we reserve the right to bring regulations in to force quicker if their strong public health rationale to do so. While it is right that we continue to ask individuals to self-isolate if they have visited a high risk destination, we are working actively on the practicalities of using testing to release people from self-isolation in fewer than 14 days.

Travel: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential for disruption to travel corridors after the end of the transition period.

Andrew Stephenson: Travel corridors are a global approach to managing health risks from travel. We keep this approach under constant review.

Motorhomes: Registration

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the DVLA guidance entitled Converting a vehicle into a motor caravan (motor home) updated on 27 August 2020, what estimate his Department has made of the number of vans that have been modified to be motor caravans but cannot be reclassified.

Rachel Maclean: In the last three years, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has received 49,901 applications to change a vehicle’s body type to motor caravan, of which, 32,199 were approved. The body type descriptor held on the vehicle record must describe what a vehicle looks like in traffic. It is not linked to the use of the vehicle, its insurance cover or speed restrictions. The body type descriptor is used purely to provide the police and other enforcement agencies with a description of the vehicle being driven in traffic.For those applications where the body type is unable to be changed to “motor caravan”, the vehicle can still be used for that purpose, provided any alterations made to the vehicle do not compromise its safety. The DVLA will allocate the most appropriate body type depending on the external appearance of the vehicle.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Coronavirus

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of the DVLA since April 2020.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a wide range of services available online which offer the quickest and easiest way to transact with the DVLA. These online services have worked well and as normal throughout the pandemic with more than 36 million online driver and vehicle transactions processed since March. The majority of DVLA’s customer interactions are digital or automated allowing businesses and motorists to transact with DVLA at a time and place that suits them. The DVLA’s 6,000 staff are predominantly based in one office in Swansea and to adhere to social distancing requirements there has been a greatly reduced number of staff on-site at any one time. As a result, there have been delays in dealing with paper applications that have been posted to the DVLA as these have to be dealt with in person. The DVLA has implemented measures to reconfigure its office space to accommodate more operational staff within the two metre social distancing requirements in Wales and ensure it remains covid secure. The DVLA has also accelerated the development of new online services to further reduce paper applications and has launched a publicity campaign to encourage the use of online services. In June, the DVLA launched a new service allowing vehicle keepers to change their address online. This service was developed and introduced at pace in response to the pandemic and has been very successful with more than 213,000 change of address transactions completed online by the end of August. Further digital service enhancements are underway. Ministers are regularly briefed on the latest position as it relates to the DVLA’s services.

Driving Tests

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the availability of practical driving tests.

Rachel Maclean: Since 26 August 2020, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been making available, on a weekly basis, a limited number of practical driving test appointments for the general public to book for up to six weeks ahead. Over 69,000 practical driving tests have been booked or rescheduled since 26 August 2020. From 14 September 2020, the DVSA will be making available over 375,000 new and rescheduled test appointments up to 21 January 2021.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to extend the two-year period in which the driving theory test is valid in response to the effect of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Rachel Maclean: The two-year validity period of the theory driving test certificate is set in legislation. The Government has no plans to lay further legislation to extend it.

Roads: Hedgehogs

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he has issued to local councils on the introduction of hedgehog crossing signs.

Rachel Maclean: The Department for Transport has not issued specific guidance to local authorities on the introduction of the hedgehog sign. General guidance on animal warning signs is provided in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Signs Manual.

Cycling and Walking: Infrastructure

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commit to increasing funding by £6 billion to local authorities for the investment of cycling and walking infrastructure.

Chris Heaton-Harris: In May, the Government announced £2 billion of new funding for cycling and walking. £225 million is being made available to local authorities in 2020-21 via the Emergency Active Travel Fund to invest in new cycling and walking infrastructure. Decisions on further funding will be a matter for the Spending Review later this year.

Rail Review

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Williams Rail Review.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department remains committed to delivering wholescale reform of the rail industry to put the priorities of passengers first. Our ambition is unchanged – we are committed to building on the detailed, evidence based priorities Keith Williams set out. We want to create a railway where passengers know who is in charge, that delivers value for money and that the UK can be proud of. The Williams Rail Review was in the final stages of drafting at the outbreak of COVID-19. The Government views the purpose of the reforms as important as ever, but further work needs to be done now to reflect the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. We will publish the results of the review in due course.

Manchester-Sheffield Railway Line

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the impact assessment on the effect on local communities of the decision to suspend services on the Manchester Piccadilly to Rose Hill Marple Line.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans as operator of last resort to instruct Northern Rail to maintain passenger services in accordance with its franchise agreement on the Manchester Piccadilly to Rose Hill Marple line.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will reopen the Manchester Piccadilly to Rose Hill Marple Line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Nationally all train operators have been asked to restore a timetable that maximises passenger travel opportunities, whilst maintaining good performance levels in services. Having been alerted to the issues around the Rose Hill service by the Hon Member for Hazel Grove, I convened a meeting of local MPs and Northern Trains Ltd (NTL). Like other operators, NTL has been working to an emergency timetable rather than its full service agreement timetable whilst the impacts of COVID-19 continue. Following the meeting outlined above, NTL is reviewing options again to see how it can support the affected communities and understands completely that the rapid return of a resilient timetable on this line is a Government priority.

Official Cars: Electric Vehicles

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of Ministerial vehicles are electric.

Chris Heaton-Harris: With the support of the Department for Transport, the Government Car Service (GCS) is replacing its fleet with Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles as they become due for replacement. Currently 50% of the GCS fleet is now either battery electric or petrol/electric hybrid and we are actively looking at options to accelerate this transition.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Trade Unions

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much taxpayers’ money each trade union has (a) registered with the Certification Officer and (b) claimed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, according to information held by HM Revenue and Customs.

Paul Scully: Trade unions do not register taxpayer’s money with the Certification Officer. Section 32 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 requires trade unions to provide an annual return to the Certification Officer detailing their income and expenditure for a given period. Trade unions are not required to include specific details of payments received from Government departments, agencies or arms-length bodies in this annual return. The Government is not able to publish information about employers who have used the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and who are also trade unions. This is in relation to HMRC’s duty of confidentiality. HMRC cannot publish identifying information that relates to one of its functions. The CJRS is one of HMRC’s functions and publishing a list of organisations would provide identifying information.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that providers of Bounce Back Loans have the funds to grant the loans promptly.

Paul Scully: The British Business Bank (BBB) administers the Bounce Back Loans Scheme (BBLS) on behalf of Government. The Bank works to accredit lenders for BBLS and provides them with a full (100%), government-backed guarantee against the outstanding balance of the finance (both capital and interest). Providing lenders with a 100% government-backed guarantee and standardising the application form is designed to produce a faster process, with many loans becoming available within days. The lenders themselves, however, are responsible for the delivery of those products to their customers and for ensuring they have sufficient capital available to meet their lending forecasts. BBB does set out a series of minimum requirements which prospective lenders must satisfy in their application. This list does include having sufficient capital, but it is not the only factor. Factors taken into account during the accreditation process are: a track record with SMEs, provision of evidence-based forecasts, sufficient capital available to meet lending forecasts, a viable business model, robust operations and systems, and having all the necessary regulations, licenses, authorisations and permissions to operate the scheme.

UK Trade with EU: Agricultural Products

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK Government's single market proposals on the movement of agricultural goods.

Paul Scully: The UK Internal Market Bill ensures the UK can operate as a coherent internal market, guaranteeing UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining world-leading standards for consumers, workers, food and the environment. The UK has some of the highest standards in the world on goods and some of the most robust standards on foods, with world-leading food, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards.

UK Trade with EU: Agricultural Products

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK Government's single market proposals on the movement of agricultural goods.

Paul Scully: The UK Internal Market Bill ensures the UK can operate as a coherent internal market, guaranteeing UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining world-leading standards for consumers, workers, food and the environment. The UK has some of the highest standards in the world on goods and some of the most robust standards on foods, with world-leading food, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards.

Post Office: ICT

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he (a) holds information and (b) has received representations on the exclusion by the Post Office from the Horizon historical shortfall compensation scheme of the (i) 550 litigants who brought the Horizon scandal to light and (ii) (A) 600 subpostmasters employed through McColls and (B) 500 subpostmasters employed through the Co-op who were also affected by the Horizon system; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The Historical Shortfall Scheme was designed for postmasters and companies who had or have a direct contract with Post Office, and therefore the individual or company had potential contractual liability for shortfalls found under previous versions of Horizon. On this basis, companies such as McColls and Co-Op were eligible to apply for the scheme. Claims could include consequential losses where appropriate. Assistants of postmasters or employees of other companies are not be eligible, as they had no contract with or contractual liability directly to the Post Office. The Historical Shortfalls Scheme was designed for postmasters or companies who were not part of the group litigation and have had issues with historical shortfalls recorded in Horizon and want these to be investigated and addressed. Claimants in the settled litigation were therefore not eligible for the Historical Shortfalls Scheme.

EU Grants and Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his proposals on a state aid regime to be implemented after the end of the transition period.

Paul Scully: On 9th September 2020, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a Written Ministerial Statement on the future plans for subsidy control. This can be found here.

Renewable Energy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he will take to ensure that technologies with long-term potential for decarbonisation are not adversely affected by the Contracts for Difference auction model.

Kwasi Kwarteng: In March this year, the Government published a consultation on proposals to amend the Contracts for Difference scheme for future allocation rounds. This included options for changes to the current pot structure to ensure it continues to reflect changes in expected costs across technologies and best supports our ambitions for long term decarbonisation. The consultation closed on 29 May and responses are being analysed. A Government response to this consultation will be published in due course.

Renewable Energy: Job Creation

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to encourage the creation of new jobs in the renewable energy sector as part of the economic recovery from the effect of covid-19.

Kwasi Kwarteng: As we recover from COVID-19, the Government intends to deliver a UK economy which is greener, more sustainable and more resilient. The UK already has over 460,000 jobs in low carbon businesses and their supply chains and it is estimated that the low-carbon economy could grow more than four times faster than the rest of the economy between 2015 and 2030 and support up to 2 million jobs.The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the government’s main mechanism for supporting new large-scale renewable electricity generation projects in Great Britain.In the latest CfD allocation round 12 new renewable electricity projects were awarded contracts at record low costs across a range of technologies, which could see the creation of 8,000 jobs across the UK.Offshore wind employs around 14,000 people in the UK. The Offshore Wind Sector Deal that was agreed last year between the government and industry aims to increase UK employment to 27,000 jobs by 2030 - these jobs will support communities right across the UK.

Renewable Energy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how he plans to diversify the Pot structure of Contracts for Difference to ensure optimal auction results.

Kwasi Kwarteng: In March this year, the Government published a consultation on proposals to amend the Contracts for Difference scheme for future allocation rounds. This included options for changes to the current pot structure. The consultation closed on 29 May and responses are being analysed. A Government response to this consultation will be published in due course.

Renewable Energy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what adjustments he plans to make to future Contracts for Difference allocation rounds to accommodate unprecedented competition for contracts.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government considers a range of matters when setting the parameters for Contracts for Difference auctions, including our ambitious decarbonisation objectives, the anticipated pipeline of eligible projects, competition, and consumer costs. We will publish auction parameters well in advance of the next auction in 2021.

Renewable Energy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to apply any capacity caps as soft instead of hard constraints in future Contracts for Difference allocation rounds.

Kwasi Kwarteng: In March this year, the Government published a consultation on proposals to amend the Contracts for Difference scheme for future allocation rounds. This included options to introduce flexibility in the use of capacity caps as either a 'hard' or 'soft' constraint. The consultation closed on 29 May and responses are being analysed. A government response to this consultation will be published in due course.

Renewable Energy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps increase or lift the capacity cap in future Contracts for Difference allocation rounds.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Capacity caps can drive competitive auctions and deliver value for money for consumers. A capacity cap was first deployed in the third Contract for Difference auction in 2019, which secured nearly twice the capacity of the previous auction with a 30% reduction in clearing prices. We will publish auction parameters well in advance of the next auction in 2021, taking into account our ambitions for net zero.

Construction: Mental Health

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2020 to Question HL4482 on Construction: Mental Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Chartered Institute of Building's report entitled Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment.

Nadhim Zahawi: The health and wellbeing of our construction workforce is of the utmost importance. The Government welcomes the Chartered Institute of Building's report on mental health in the sector, as well as other initiatives that are being undertaken by the industry to improve mental health among construction workers. The Government will continue to work with the industry on these issues through the Health and Safety Executive’s Construction Industry Advisory Committee and Construction Industry Advisory Network.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many full-time equivalent staff  were employed in his Department's human resources section in April 2020.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had 93.5 full-time equivalent staff employed in the Human Resources directorate in April 2020. This figure includes ‘inactive’ staff, such as those on maternity or on loan or secondment, and excludes contingent staff and those on the Fast Stream.The Department’s Human Resources directorate includes a Health and Safety team, as well as other teams not usually included within the Cabinet Office’s definition of Human Resources.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to tackle the concerns raised by the Glass and Glazing Federation in that organisation's letter to the Government of 14 August 2002 on the Green Homes Scheme.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme focuses on those measures which give greatest thermal benefits and carbon reductions, but which consumers are typically less likely to install on their own. Insulating walls, roofs and floors is a more cost-effective way to improve the energy efficiency of homes, which is why it is prioritised under the scheme. We will continue to review the scheme design and take new information into account. Funding for future energy efficiency initiatives will be determined through the Spending Review in the autumn.

Energy: Standing Charges

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority to require all Energy providers to offer at least one Zero Standing Charge tariff for each fuel they supply; and if he will make a statement.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Setting energy tariffs is a commercial matter for individual suppliers. There are fixed costs in the supply of gas and electricity, such as meter costs and providing an emergency service, so any tariff with a zero standing charge would need to levy the fixed cost via a higher unit rate. This could benefit some low consumption households but could also make higher consumption households worse off, such as those with children or people who need to use more energy due to ill health. The price cap on default and prepayment meter tariffs ensures that all households pay a fair price for gas and electricity.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for the Green Homes Grant to all homes without wall or floor insulation.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme is open to owner occupiers, park homeowners and landlords who let privately or through the social rented sector. Solid wall, cavity wall and under floor insulation are all eligible for grant funding as primary measures, although the suitability of each type of insulation will vary by property.

Climate Change Convention

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to publish the advice his Department is receiving from the Committee on Climate Change on the Government’s planned Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We expect the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to include advice on the Nationally Determined Contribution when they publish advice on the Sixth Carbon Budget in December. The CCC will make this publicly available.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to improve energy standards in the private rented sector to help reduce fuel poverty affecting tenants in that sector.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We intend to consult on strengthening the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in due course, in line with our Clean Growth Strategy aspiration for privately rented properties to reach EPC Band C by 2030 where practical, affordable and cost-effective. Landlords will also be eligible for subsidised energy efficiency measures through the Green Homes Grant scheme this autumn.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in response to recent trends in the number of young people experiencing mental ill-health during the covid-19 outbreak and lockdown.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We want to ensure that all children and young people experiencing mental ill health can access the help and support they need and that schools and colleges, parents and carers can support children’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the autumn.We remain committed to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year into mental health services by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. This funding underpins our aim for an additional 345,000 children and young people to be able to access support through National Health Service-funded services or school- and college-based mental health support teams.

Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase mental health support as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and other key partners to take an expert look at what we might anticipate by way of need and plan for how to support mental health and wellbeing throughout the next few weeks and months. Our NHS Long Term Plan commitment to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year to mental health services by 2023-24 remains. We have provided £5 million of additional funding for mental health charities to support adults and children struggling with their mental wellbeing during this time.

Endometriosis: Children and Young People

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the findings of the report The prevalence of endometriosis in adolescents with pelvic pain: a systematic review, published in July 2020 in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, that one in ten girls may have endometriosis; and whether he plans to introduce a target to reduce the average waiting time for a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government is aware of and sympathises with the hardships faced by women who experience severe symptoms from conditions such as endometriosis.There is currently no plan to introduce a target to reduce the average waiting time for a diagnosis. NHS England advises that women with symptoms suggestive of endometriosis may undergo diagnostic and/or operative laparoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure carried out by a gynaecologist on referral. This is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Mental Health Services

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with a pre-existing mental health condition who have been unable to access treatment during the covid-19 outbreak will be able to access that treatment in the next two months.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people (a) with mental health issues and (b) who have not been able to access that support during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: National Health Service mental health services have remained open for business throughout this time. NHS community, talking therapies and children and young people’s services have deployed innovative digital tools to connect with people and provide ongoing support. We have previously issued tailored guidance to help people deal with their mental health and wellbeing on GOV.UK and are promoting this through the ‘Every Mind Matters’ website. For those with severe needs or in crisis, NHS mental health providers have established all-age 24 hours a day, seven days a week mental health crisis lines. As part of wider NHS England and NHS Improvement guidance concerning the restoration of non-COVID-19 services, mental health services have been asked to proactively review all patients on community mental health teams’ caseloads and increase therapeutic activity and supportive interventions to prevent relapse or escalation of mental health needs for people with severe mental illness in the community.

Tomography: Artificial Intelligence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the value of artificial intelligence to reading PET CT scans.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using artificial intelligence to read PET CT scans.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service Artificial Intelligence (AI) Laboratory is undertaking a discovery project to look at medical imaging, which will examine the value and benefit of the use of AI in medical imaging.The potential for the application of AI methodologies to PET/CT imaging has been widely investigated in the research community. From the academic and commercial research performed to date, AI methodologies in PET/CT have been shown to provide benefit in, but not limited to: the improvement of image quality and lowering of CT dose delivered to the patient; lesion and disease detection; tumour segmentation; and in the prediction of disease recurrence.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that care home (a) residents and (b) staff members can be tested regularly for covid-19.

Helen Whately: Following an initial round of whole home testing, on 3 July we began rolling out regular retesting to care homes. We initially rolled out retesting for over 65s and those caring for people with dementia. All other adult care homes are now eligible to register for test kits using the online portal and distribution to these homes began on 7 September.Care home staff are offered weekly testing, while residents receive a test every 28 days.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of confidence that care homes employing agency staff on an emergency basis can have that those staff will have had a covid-19 test in the last seven days.

Helen Whately: All agency staff working in care homes are eligible to access weekly COVID-19 testing through the care home they work in. Regular retesting was initially rolled out for care homes specialising in care for over 65s and/or those with dementia. All other adult care homes are now eligible to place orders for test kits to begin regular retesting.The testing process does not differentiate between agency staff and permanent care home staff.

Social Services: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of agency care staff who are able to access weekly covid-19 testing.

Helen Whately: All agency staff working in care homes are eligible to access weekly COVID-19 testing through the care home they work in. Regular retesting was initially rolled out for care homes specialising in care for over 65s and/or those with dementia. All other adult care homes are now eligible to place orders for test kits to begin regular retesting.Test results do not differentiate between agency staff and permanent care home staff.

Abortion

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment was made of the rate of complications resulting from abortion performed at (a) hospital and (b) home prior to the introduction of the temporary provision which permits both sets of abortion pills to be used at home.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on abortion coercion for (a) surgical abortions and (b) out-of-clinic medical abortions.

Helen Whately: No comparative assessment has been made on the rate of complications to date.The Department does not hold data on coercive abortion. Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services. Individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse in adult women and know how to respond.

Health Services: Immigrants

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department does not collect data on how many migrants have received bills for healthcare treatment in error during the covid-19 exemption period for charges.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to allocate funding to deliver localised contact tracing for covid-19 to local authorities using central systems.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Professions: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff members have died from covid-19 since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Children

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the effects of the covid-19 outbreak and lockdown on children’s (a) physical agility and (b) weight gain.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Coronavirus

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date he will publish the Social Care Taskforce plan for supporting the social care sector through coronavirus.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) information he holds on and (b) assessment he has made of the effect on the risk of transmission of covid-19 for clinically vulnerable people of those people living in households with children attending school.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Visits

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to update visiting arrangements in care homes to allow for closer interaction between residents and their visitors while maintaining the health and safety of care workers and residents as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mental health support is available to freelancers in the digital, culture, media and sport sectors who have not received an income for over four months as a result of the covid-19 outbreak and who are not eligible for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fertility: Health Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to fertility services for people regardless of their (a) relationship status and (b) location.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the education sector on securing a safe and localised covid-19 test and trace service to support cities where there is a significant student population.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that a walk-in covid-19 testing centre is located in York, before the university term commences, in order to respond to the expected demand for testing from students.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to give permission for local directors of public health to run a localised tracing system.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of calls (a) made to, (b) answered by and (c) that were answered within 60 seconds by the 119 test and trace services in each month since it was introduced.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that women with (a) heavy menstrual bleeding and (b) other women-specific conditions are not deterred from presenting at primary care by covid-19 concerns.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Menorrhagia: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that women with heavy menstrual bleeding receive a timely diagnosis (a) as covid-19 restrictions are eased and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

TransUnion: Coronavirus

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason Transunion is being used to confirm identity for NHS Test and Trace home virus tests instead of the Government's Verify ID system; and what procurement process was put in place which led to the choosing of Transunion for that purpose.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Greater London

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tests have been taken at each covid-19 testing centre in London on each day since 31 August 2020.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Brighton and Hove

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to agree to the request from Brighton and Hove City Council for the seven day temporary mobile testing unit provision in that city to be extended; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to give local authorities the power to enforce a minimum of one metre social distancing during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter of 27 April 2020 from the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North on covid-19 shielding for parents of vulnerable children.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for the understanding of long-term covid-19 symptoms of contacting people who tested positive for covid-19 four weeks later to ask whether they have returned to baseline health.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Centres: Vaccination

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether individual health centres are receiving guidance from Public Health England on the administering of winter flu jabs.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Plastic Surgery: Safety

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether practitioners of aesthetic treatments are required to undertake a mandatory risk assessment of each patient prior to treatment.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of covid-19 test results which are lost; what steps he is taking to reduce that number; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Professions: Protective Clothing

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on guidance on the wearing of personal protective equipment by health professionals when they are working in (a) early years and (b) educational settings supporting children and young people?.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the delayed Answers on 20 August 2020 to Questions 59658 asked on 16 June and 74414 asked on 15 July, on the delay to answer substantively Question 49568 on Diabetes and Question 49569 on Coronavirus: Screening, both tabled on 20 May 2020, for what reason the original two Questions have still not been substantively answered; and when he plans to provide those Answers.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hyperactivity: Mental Health Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 3.33 in the NHS Long Term Plan, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of support packages for children with ADHD.

Helen Whately: NHS England wrote to healthcare leaders on 30 July 2020 setting out the actions required for phase 3 of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes re-stating targets for clinical commissioning groups to increase investment in services for people with a learning disability and autism in line with the Mental Health Investment Standard. It also asks systems to maintain the growth in the number of children and young people accessing care, ensure all services are restored and advertised, and proactively review all patients in community health services and asking general practitioners to ensure these patients are identified on their registers.We recognise that there remains more to do to improve diagnosis and support for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the range of (a) extra care housing and (b) housing with care to alleviate pressure on the care home sector.

Helen Whately: Housing-with-care (or extra care housing) has a vital role in enabling older people to live independently, with the necessary care and support available if required. The Department of Health and Social Care together with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provides capital funding to incentivise the supply of supported housing for older people, including housing-with-care. In the context of an ageing population, we will continue to work with the sector to improve the diversity of housing options available to older people.

NHS: Disciplinary Proceedings

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase disclosure to families involved in complaints on disciplinary procedures within the NHS.

Helen Whately: The Department does not have plans to increase disclosure to families involved in complaints on disciplinary procedures within the National Health Service. Disciplinary procedures including disciplinary investigations are internal matters between an employee and employer. This information is of a confidential and sensitive nature and disclosure of any details to a third party would be in breach of the Data Protection Act 2018. Any exceptions where disclosure may need to be considered would have to be in line with the Data Protection Act and would normally require the consent of the individual involved.The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has produced guidance on the handling of information obtained as part of an investigation and can be found at the following link:https://archive.acas.org.uk/media/1043/Discipline-and-grievances-at-work-The-Acas-guide/pdf/DG_Guide_Feb_2019.pdf

Children: Day Care

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to reimburse childcare costs to parents working in the health and social care system who had to isolate from their children during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: National Health Service and social care staff should follow existing guidance on social distancing. Employers will have local policies related to childcare and are encouraged to exercise the maximum amount of flexibility and discretion in these situations, recognising the difficult circumstances of the pandemic.Where staff live in the same household as someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable, employers should consider all options, including supporting staff to work from home, temporary redeployment, flexible working hours or special leave arrangements.NHS England and NHS Improvement have supported employers, ensuring they are provided with up to date information on childcare support and guidance to support the financial wellbeing of staff. NHS Employers have also published guidance on supporting staff with childcare responsibilities through COVID-19 which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/covid19/health-safety-and-wellbeing/supporting-staff-with-childcare-responsibilities

Epilepsy

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking in response to  the recent Learning Disability Mortality Review's (LeDeR) recommendation that epilepsy safety should be prioritised with basic safety measures including (a) the completion of SUDEP Action’s SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist and (b) regular risk assessments integrated into care to prevent future avoidable epilepsy deaths; and if he will meet with representatives of SUDEP Action to discuss the Government’s plans.

Helen Whately: As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 16 July 2020 (HCWS378), the Government is clear that we must address the issues raised in the LeDeR report to ensure the care that each individual deserves is provided. We are considering the report and its recommendations in more detail, and will work with stakeholders to determine the specific action that must be taken.

Abortion: Coronavirus

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safeguarding provisions his Department has put in place for women who have been prescribed abortions at home during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services. All providers must comply with legal requirements and have regard to any statutory guidance relating to children, young people and vulnerable adults. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and know how to respond. Providers must have written guidance that staff are aware of and can easily refer to as well as easy access to a named lead in the organisation for guidance and advice. It is also a requirement that clinicians caring for women requesting abortion should be able to identify those who require more support than can be provided in the routine abortion service setting, for example young women, those with a pre-existing mental health condition, those who are subject to sexual violence or poor social support, or where there is evidence of coercion.

Hyperactivity: Mental Health Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2020 to Question 68456, if he will publish the membership of the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Implementation Working Group within the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Helen Whately: At the request of the Department, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) worked with NHS England and NHS Improvement to convene a national working group on supporting the implementation of NICE recommendations on the diagnosis and management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is a multidisciplinary group, made up of service users, national policy leads, commissioners, providers, and professional organisations, and includes representatives from:- NICE;- The Department of Health and Social Care;- NHS England and NHS Improvement;- Public Health England;- Health Education England;- The Department for Education;- NHS Digital;- The Ministry of Justice;- Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust;- AADD-UK;- ADHD Foundation;- The Maudsley Hospital (national service);- The Royal College of Occupational Therapists;- Oxford ADHD and Autism Centre;- The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health;- The Royal College of Psychiatrists;- University College London;- The Royal College of Nursing;- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust;- The University of Exeter;- Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Network;- North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust; and- Greater Manchester Health and Care Commissioning.

Epilepsy

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) promote the NHS Rightcare Epilepsy Toolkit and (b) implement best practice highlighted in that toolkit on tackling epilepsy mortality.

Helen Whately: The NHS England and NHS Improvement Rightcare Epilepsy toolkit, endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and developed in partnership with Epilepsy Action, SUDEP Action and Young Epilepsy, provides support for clinicians to understand the priorities in epilepsy care and key actions to take. The toolkit is available at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/rightcare/products/pathways/epilepsy-toolkit/Clinicians should take into account best-practice guidance, including the Rightcare Epilepsy toolkit as well as other guidelines produced by NHS England and NHS Improvement and NICE, when tackling epilepsy mortality and providing care for people suffering with epilepsy.

Pets: Coronavirus

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to local authorities to enable them to meet their obligation under the Care Act 2014 to ensure that pets, which are considered property of an individual, are looked after if an individual is hospitalised as a result of covid-19.

Helen Whately: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to protect the moveable property (which includes pets) of adults with care and support needs, who are in hospital or are away from home in accommodation such as care homes.We have provided £3.7 billion to local authorities through un-ringfenced grants so they can address the expenditure pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Palliative Care

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the new guidelines for do not resuscitate orders will be published; and how that guidance will prevent such orders being applied without patient consent.

Helen Whately: NHS England and NHS Improvement are working on revised, patient-facing information on Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and where to get support. This document will help clarifythat people are meant to be engaged in conversations before a DNACPR recommendation is made and how to ask for a review, if such recommendation is made.The guidance will be published shortly following consultation with key stakeholders and people with lived experience.

Social Services: Recruitment

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to recruit workers to the social care sector from within the UK.

Helen Whately: In order to attract more people into social care, in April to July we rapidly increased the national recruitment campaign – with sustained activity across broadcast, digital and social media. The campaign highlighted the vital role that the social care workforce has played during the pandemic, along with the longer-term opportunity of working in case.We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to provide job centre work coaches with resources to promote adult social care careers to jobseekers, including those who may have recently lost their jobs working in hard hit sectors such as hospitality, tourism and retail.

Patients: Monitoring

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2020 to Question 71027 on Patients: Monitoring, what steps his Department is taking to close staffing gaps in the elderly care sector; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing new remote monitoring technologies to help improve the quality of care for patients and safety for health workers.

Helen Whately: In April to July this year, we increased the national recruitment campaign in order to attract more people into social care with sustained activity across broadcast, digital and social media. The campaign highlighted the vital role that the social care workforce has played during the pandemic, along with the longer-term opportunity of working in social care.We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to provide job centre work coaches with resources to promote adult social care careers to jobseekers, including those who may have recently lost their jobs working in hard hit sectors such as hospitality, tourism and retail.The NHS Long Term Plan published last year set out our plan for greater use of digital technology and devices to transform care, including remote monitoring to support patients digitally and help National Health Service clinicians to predict and prevent events that might otherwise lead to a spell in hospital.

Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is requiring local authorities to report how they have spent their discretionary 25 per cent allocation of the Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund; and how much funding has been allocated to social care providers the local authority (a) has and (b) does not have a contract with.

Helen Whately: As part of the grant conditions of the £600 million Infection Control Fund, local authorities are required to submit two high-level returns specifying how the grant has been spent. Funding must be used for infection control measures. A breakdown of spending of the first instalment, by local authority, can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-infection-control-fundSubject to the conditions in the grant determination being satisfied, local authorities should pass 75% of each instalment straight to care homes within the local authority’s geographical area on a ‘per beds’ basis, including to social care providers with whom the local authority does not have existing contracts. The Department does not collect data on providers that local authorities have existing contracts with.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been admitted to hospital for complications after being prescribed medical abortion pills, since 1 April 2020.

Helen Whately: The Department does not hold this data.We are aware of a small number of incidents of concern which we are looking into alongside with the Care Quality Commission and other partners. We continue to closely monitor the impact of the temporary approval for women’s homes to be classed as a place where both sets of medication for early medical abortion can be taken up to 10 weeks gestation.

Radioisotopes

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to medical radio-isotopes in the event that an agreement is not reached on a future relationship with the EU by the end of the transition period.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the public have uninterrupted access to over the counter medicines in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Edward Argar: The Department, in consultation with the devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies, is working with trade bodies, product suppliers, and the health and care system in England to make detailed plans to help ensure continued supply of medicines and medical products, including medical radioisotopes and over-the-counter medicines, to the whole of the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period in all scenarios.The Department understands that a flexible approach to preparedness may be required for medicines that cannot be stockpiled, such as some medical radioisotopes. We have asked suppliers of those products to use airfreight, which some suppliers are already doing now. Further detail on the plans to help ensure continuity of medical supplies has been communicated to suppliers, and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-medicines-and-medical-products-suppliers-3-august-2020/letter-to-medicine-suppliers-3-august-2020

Medical Equipment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether medicines and medical supplies will be treated differently at the UK-EU border to other items following the transition period.

Edward Argar: The Border and Protocol Delivery Group’s (BPDG) recently published Border Operating Model sets out the processes for importing and exporting goods, including additional requirements that will be needed for importing and exporting certain medical products, such as medicines that are controlled goods. The Department is working closely with BPDG and HM Revenue and Customs to ensure trader readiness to comply with the Border Operating Model.To further support the flow of critical goods, medicines and medical products have been designated category 1 status, and we have put in place additional contingencies through our multi-layered approach to help ensure the supply of medicines and medical products at the end of the Transition Period.

Drugs and Medical Equipment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that buffer stocks of (a) prescription medicines and (b) medical products and devices from the UK's EU exit stockpile are being replenished before December 2020; and how many weeks' worth of each such products will be stockpiled.

Edward Argar: The Department, in consultation with the devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies, are working with trade bodies, suppliers, and the health and care system to make detailed plans to help ensure continued supply of medicines and medical products to the whole of the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period. As set out in a letter from the Department to industry of 3 August, we are implementing a multi-layered approach, that involves asking suppliers to get trader ready, reroute their supply chains away from any potential disruption and stockpiling to a target level of six weeks on UK soil where this is possible. The letter is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-medicines-and-medical-products-suppliers-3-august-2020/letter-to-medicine-suppliers-3-august-2020

Ventilators: Procurement

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Chancellor's summer economic update of 8 July 2020, how much of the £1 billion allocated to procure additional ventilators to support the NHS has been allocated to indemnify designers and manufacturers of Rapidly Manufactured Ventilator Systems for (a) claims relating to infringement of third-party intellectual property rights and (b) product liability claims resulting from defective equipment.

Edward Argar: The Government granted indemnities to some participants in the Ventilator Challenge, assuming liability for some of the product and intellectual property risks involved in manufacturing ventilators to a much shorter timescale than usual and with significantly different supply chains. This ensured machines were made available for use in the National Health Service to treat patients much more quickly than they otherwise would have been. To date there have been no claims against these indemnities and therefore no costs incurred to the Government in relation to them.

Hearing Impairment: Coronavirus

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of clear face masks to health and social care settings to allow lip reading and communication for deaf patients and staff.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many clear face masks have been distributed to health and social care settings to allow lip reading and communication for deaf patients and staff.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether clear face masks are available on the NHS Supply Chain for health and social care settings to purchase.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom Government’s national personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement team has been working extremely hard to source clear face masks which comply with UK safety standards.At the time of writing, the first batch of 20,250 clear face masks were sent out to National Health Service regions over a week ago. The second batch is due to be sent out this week. We have also sent clear masks to NHS Blood and Transplant services, as well as to the National Supply Disruption Response hotline. We also plan for clear masks to be available in social care settings and will communicate to providers how they can access this product as soon as possible.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women of child bearing potential receive prescriptions for Valproate in England.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been (a) exposed to Valproate in pregnancy, (b) harmed by Valproate in pregnancy and (c) diagnosed with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder, since April 2018.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been harmed by the use of Valproate in pregnancy since 1973.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) women with  (i) epilepsy and (ii) bipolar disorder who are prescribed Valproate and (b) their children receive the healthcare they require.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been monitoring trends in the prescribing of sodium valproate in women and girls to assess the impact of regulatory restrictions including the introduction of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) in April 2018.Data from the NHS Business Services Authority show that in the second quarter (April-June) of 2020 13,574 women of child-bearing age (14-45 years) were dispensed with a prescription for valproate in England.The number of pregnancies estimated to have been exposed to valproate in the United Kingdom during 2018 and 2019 were 370 and 190 respectively. These estimates are extrapolated from data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink as national data are not collected. No data are available on the number of children harmed by valproate or the number of diagnoses with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder since 2018.The number of children harmed by the use of valproate in pregnancy since 1973 is not precisely known. However, an estimate has been made of in the region of 20,000.The MHRA is working on developing a valproate registry, the main aims of which would be to monitor the use of valproate in girls and women in the UK and compliance with the current regulatory requirements, and to identify and monitor outcomes in any children born to women on valproate. There has been a gradual decline in prescribing of valproate to women of childbearing age over a number of years but more needs to be done to reduce prescribing to the minimum. The MHRA is working with the National Health Service and professional regulators to drive forward compliance with the PPP and ensure that women with epilepsy and bipolar disorder receive the healthcare they require.

Maternity Services: Computer Software

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the NHSX trial of the Peppy app for pregnant women and new parents; and what plans he has to extend access to that app.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The evaluation report provided following the initial trial suggested potential benefits, through feedback from parents, in terms of reductions in demand for unplanned National Health Service appointments and improvements in parental confidence and mental wellbeing.Following a successful bid for additional Tech Force 19 funding, Peppy seeks to build on the original trial through a further focused trial in a single Local Maternity System. The trial will provide support to a cohort of parents from 36 weeks gestation to eight weeks postpartum, integrating the Peppy service with other local services.The evidence base generated by the trial will be available to local commissioners in 2021, to inform local commissioning strategies.

Fetal Valproate Syndrome: Children

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been (a) exposed to Valproate in pregnancy, (b) harmed by Valproate in pregnancy and (c) diagnosed with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder since April 2018.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women of child bearing potential receive prescriptions for Valproate in England.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been monitoring trends in the prescribing of sodium valproate in women and girls to assess the impact of regulatory restrictions including the introduction of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme in April 2018.The number of pregnancies estimated to have been exposed to valproate in the United Kingdom during 2018 and 2019 were 370 and 190 respectively. These estimates are extrapolated from data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink as national data are not collected. No data are available on the number of children harmed by valproate or the number of diagnoses with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder since 2018.Data from the NHS Business Services Authority show that in the second quarter (April-June) of 2020 13,574 women of child-bearing age (14-45 years) were dispensed with a prescription for valproate in England.The MHRA is working on developing a valproate registry, the main aims of which would be to monitor the use of valproate in girls and women in the UK and compliance with the current regulatory requirements, and to identify and monitor outcomes in any children born to women on valproate.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received on covid-19 patients who experience long-lasting effects of that virus; what research he has commissioned into the long-term effect of covid-19 on certain patients; what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who experience long-term effects of covid-19; and what plans he has to ensure the NHS is able to provide the appropriate care for such patients.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service and the wider scientific community are currently working to better understand the disease course of COVID-19 infection, including the prevalence, severity and duration of symptoms, and how best to support recovery. The National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation have invested £8.4 million in the Post-HOSPitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID), led by Christopher Brightling at the University of Leicester. This study is one of the world’s largest comprehensive research studies into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients.The NHS is working to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other longer-term complications. As part of this, in July the NHS launched ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service, a personalised programme to support the recovery of people who have been in hospital or suffered at home with the virus.

NHS: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential   effect of the long term health consequences of covid-19 on the NHS.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential   effect of the long term health consequences of covid-19 on the NHS.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service and the wider scientific community are currently working to better understand the disease course of the COVID-19 virus including symptom severity and duration, long term effects and how best to support recovery.The National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation have invested £8.4 million in the Post-HOSPitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID), led by Christopher Brightling at the University of Leicester. This study is one of the world’s largest comprehensive research studies into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients.The research currently underway will inform future NHS service design and provision.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to uphold quality and safety standards after the end of the transition period.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to uphold quality and safety standards following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has made preparations to amend medicines and medical devices regulations to make sure we have the strongest regulatory framework for medicines from day 1 after the end of the transition period, This will enable the MHRA to continue to have the appropriate oversight for medicines placed on the market, to maintain patient safety and be able to take action where necessary.After the transition period, our aim is to make sure patients in the United Kingdom continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and medical devices. We want patients to be reassured that their safety will be protected through the strongest regulatory framework.

Health Services: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department is doing to ensure the availability of adequate (a) specialists and (b) treatment for patients facing long-term effects from covid-19.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support people suffering long-term effects from covid-19.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  what steps his Department is taking to develop plans to increase the provision of rehabilitation support for people that contracted covid-19 after the covid-19 outbreak has ended.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service and the wider scientific community are currently working to better understand the disease course of COVID-19 infection, including the prevalence, severity and duration of symptoms, and how best to support recovery. The National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation have invested £8.4 million in the Post-HOSPitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID), led by Christopher Brightling at the University of Leicester. This study is one of the world’s largest comprehensive research studies into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients.The NHS is working to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other longer-term complications. As part of this, in July the NHS launched ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service, a personalised programme to support the recovery of people who have been in hospital or suffered at home with the virus.The research currently underway will inform future NHS service design and provision.

Mental Health Services: Homelessness

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England announcement, Rough sleepers in homeless hotspots to benefit from NHS mental health outreach, published on 14 October 2019, whether the roll-out of that initiative will go ahead as planned due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS England and NHS Improvement still intend to roll-out mental health support for rough sleepers in at least 20 targeted areas with high levels of rough sleeping by 2023/24.

Bereavement Counselling: Coronavirus

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions the Government is having with specialist bereavement organisations on the wider support that bereaved families need (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government is taking a cross-Government approach to address bereavement support and help ensure that families and friends of those deceased get the support they need – particularly during this difficult time. We are engaging with a range of specialist bereavement organisations to assess the need for support.We will continue to engage with specialist bereavement organisations to assess how we can support them in doing their important work, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Independent Review

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will make it its policy to implement the findings of the Cumberlege Review in full.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review published its report on 8 July. All the report’s recommendations will be considered carefully.The Government will provide an update in due course.

Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to update the House on its response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review; what the Government's priorities are for women's health; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We do not consider it appropriate to commit to a specific timeframe for a response while these recommendations are being considered. While this report was published on 8 July, it took over two years to compile and we therefore consider it vitally important that it is given full consideration.Supporting women’s health is critical for the health and care system. We know that there are significant differences and inequalities between different groups of women in terms of access to services, experience of services and health outcomes. We are reflecting on the detailed and thorough First Do No Harm Report published by Baroness Cumberlege and what this tells us about priorities for women’s health.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that child and adolescent mental health services will have adequate capacity to meet demand when the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Ms Nadine Dorries: National Health Service mental health services have remained open and, in his letter to local NHS organisations setting out the third phase of the NHS response to COVID-19, Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, has asked that local areas maintain the growth in the number of children and young people accessing care mental health care, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. We are also taking action to ensure that children and young people have access to support in schools. Our £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme will support staff to respond to the emotional and mental health pressures some children and young people may be feeling. We also continue to establish mental health support teams in and around schools and colleges. This complements the new Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum, which makes mental health a key part of primary- and secondary-school education.

Gambling: Suicide

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of gambling-related suicides.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have made no such assessment. There is currently no reliable estimate of the number of suicides linked to problem gambling in the United Kingdom, and there would be significant challenges in attempting to record this. Requiring coroners to routinely assess the motivation in all cases of suicide would take the coroner role fundamentally beyond its legal parameters. We know that there may be wider lifestyle factors associated with gambling addiction that may link to poor mental health, and that gambling addiction can create a cycle of debt that can also have a significant impact on mental health and wellbeing. In extreme cases it may lead to thoughts of suicide. The Government committed to addressing suicide risk and gambling in the latest progress report to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Workplan, which were published in January 2019

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Independent Review

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish a response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Review report published in July 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review are being considered carefully.We do not consider it appropriate to commit to a specific timeframe for a response while these recommendations are being considered. While this report was published on 8 July, it took over two years to compile and we therefore consider it vitally important that it is given full consideration.

Surgical Mesh Implants

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent comparative assessment he has made of the  effectiveness of pain medication and antidepressants for victims of the vaginal mesh scandal to help them cope with the after-effects of that mesh insertion; if he will make representations to NICE against proposals that prescription of pain medication should be withdrawn for those victims in cases where there is an absence of highly specific diagnoses of pain being the result of that mesh insertion; and for what reason such mesh insertions are still being permitted to take place provided that the insertion is carried out via the stomach.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Departmental officials have been working with NHS England and NHS Improvement to establish means of specialist support for those women requiring it. While NHS England and NHS Improvement complete the process of commissioning mesh removal centres, there are hospitals in England where this type of treatment is available. Both the British Association of Urological Surgeons and the British Society of Urogynaecology have information on their respective websites about the hospitals and surgeons that will provide the specialist support required.On managing chronic pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that the draft guideline is still out for consultation in line with their standard processes. This will close on Monday 14 September after which their guideline committee will meet to consider comments received.On pain specifically experienced as a result of mesh insertion, NICE advises that its specific guideline is ‘Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in in women: management’, which includes advice on managing complications.On the use of mesh to treat hernias (abdominal wall reinforcement), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not had any evidence which would lead it to change its position on use of surgical mesh for hernia repairs.

Coronavirus: Mental Health

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to co-ordinate the Government's support for people’s mental health and wellbeing in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to co-ordinate the Government's support for people's mental health and wellbeing in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We know that there is the potential for an increase in demand for mental health services. Ministers in the Department are engaging regularly with their counterparts across Whitehall on how best the Government can prevent and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing.We are also working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and other key partners to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts and plan for how to support mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.

Suicide

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made the suicide rate for (a) Preston (b) Lancashire and (c) England between April 2020 to July 2020 with the same period in each of the last 2 years.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have not made such an assessment. We do not yet have robust data to say what effect, if any, the COVID-19 pandemic has had on suicide rates. We are nevertheless taking action to support people’s mental health and prevent suicides and self-harm. All National Health Service mental health providers have established 24 hours a day, seven days a week mental health crisis lines, and we have announced £9.2 million of additional funding to support mental health charities, including Samaritans and CALM. Every local authority has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place. The expectation is that agencies will work together to ensure plans address the impacts of COVID-19 on specific groups. We are working with the NHS and others to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.

Coronavirus: Suicide

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 lockdown on suicide rates.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have not yet made such an assessment. We do not at this time have robust data to say what effect, if any, the COVID-19 pandemic has had on suicide rates. Public Health England is currently piloting the development of a national surveillance system to monitor suspected suicide and self-harm, by collecting in near real time data from local systems which can be used to identify patterns of risk and causal factors, to inform national and local responses.

Coronavirus: Mental Health

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on mental health; and what the implications are of that assessment for the timetable of proposals to reform the Mental Health Act 1983.

Ms Nadine Dorries: There is broad consensus that there is the potential for an increase in demand for mental health services as a result of COVID-19 and we are working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and others to ensure ongoing assessment of the potential longer-term impacts and to plan for how to support mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.We have committed to publishing a White Paper which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 and pave the way for reform of the Act. We will publish our White Paper as soon as it is possible to do so. We will consult publicly on our proposals and will bring forward a Bill to amend the Act when parliamentary time allows.

Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made in developing post-covid-19 plans for increased mental health and psychological support for (a) people who have contracted covid-19, (b) family and close friends of people who have contracted covid-19 and (c) frontline health and care workers.

Ms Nadine Dorries: There is broad consensus that there is the potential for an increase in demand for mental health services as a result of COVID-19 and we are working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and others to ensure ongoing assessment of the potential longer-term impacts and to plan for how to support mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.Mental health services are provided according to clinical need, regardless of whether an individual or a member of their family has previously contracted COVID-19.With regard to frontline health and care workers, we have ensured comprehensive packages of emotional and psychological support are available to all social care and NHS staff, building on existing support. This includes free access to a confidential helpline operated by the Samaritans.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the use of sectioning powers in Schedule 8 Section 3 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: No assessment has been made as, to date, it has not been necessary to commence Schedule 8 Section 3 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Postnatal Depression

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specialist treatment is available for mothers suffering post-natal depression in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are committed to improving perinatal mental health services for new mothers. From April 2019, new and expectant mothers have been able to access specialist perinatal mental health community services in every part of the country, and NHS England continues to expand capacity of inpatient mother and baby units. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust has a specialist service, provided by a team of perinatal mental health professionals, for mothers suffering post-natal depression. Referrals can be made from a number of places including general practitioners, midwifes and health visitors. The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24, building on the additional 30,000 women who will access these services each year by 2020/21 under pre-existing plans.

Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) steps the Government plans to take and (b) funding the Government plans to make available to prepare for an increase in demand for mental health services in Autumn 2020 as anticipated by NHS England as result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We remain committed to the aims in the NHS Long Term Plan to invest at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year in mental health services by 2023/24. The Chief Executive of NHS England wrote to National Health Service organisations on 31 July setting out the third phase of the NHS response to COVID-19. This includes the expectation that every clinical commissioning group continue to increase investment in mental health services. The letter also sets out that: - Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services should fully resume;- 24 hours a day, seven days a week crisis helplines for all ages that were established locally during the pandemic should be retained; and- growth in the number of children and young people accessing care should be maintained.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of covid-19 patients who have been diagnosed with PTSD.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department has made no such estimate.

Health Services and Social Services: Staffordshire

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve technology in (a) health and (b) social care sectors in (i) Stoke-on-Trent and (ii) Staffordshire.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Digital innovation can provide increased access to care and is a key enabler to many services across the system. Since early March, there has been a dramatic acceleration in technology transformation in health and social care.NHSX is moving forward with a national programme of work to improve technology in the health and social care sector. This work is focused on key interventions, including improving digital infrastructure and access to internet connectivity for care providers; supporting information sharing across health and social care services; investing in digital skills development; and helping to scale-up proven technologies, including innovative digital tools and applications. This work will benefit care providers and people receiving social care services across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) the accuracy of data collated and (b) that all necessary individuals are contacted through the NHS Test and Trace service to help reduce  transmission rates of covid-19.

Helen Whately: The statistics on tests, testing capacity and positive cases have been produced quickly in response to developing world events. The Office for Statistics Regulation, on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority, has reviewed the statistics against several important aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics and regards them as consistent with the code’s three pillars of trustworthiness, quality and value.The NHS Test and Trace contacts everyone we can both those who have tested positive and the close recent contacts they provide – by text, email and/or telephone, and we will ring up to 10 times. We are concentrating our calling on times that best suit the public. If someone has tested positive for COVID-19 and NHS Test and Trace have been unable to contact them for 24 hours, they may pass their contact details to the local authority team.

Coronavirus: Supermarkets

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many supermarket workers have been infected with covid-19.

Helen Whately: Public Health England does not publish data of the occupation of those who test positive for COVID-19, meaning the number of supermarket workers who have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic is not available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will work with FIXR to incorporate contact tracing into their app.

Helen Whately: The Department currently has no plans to work with FIXR to incorporate contact tracing into their app.The NHS Test and Trace App is part of the wider National Health Service Test and Trace service and aims to help break chains of COVID-19 transmission. It complements enhanced contact tracing. It will allow users to check if they have COVID-19 symptoms and order a test if needed. It will also ensure that users are alerted if they have been near other app users who have tested positive for COVID-19 and helps users keep track of any self-isolation period and how to access advice. It also lets users know the level of coronavirus risk in their postcode district and lets them check-in to different venues using QR codes so that they can receive alerts it they have visited a venue where they may have come into contact with COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish, by local authority area, the number of (a) personnel carrying out covid-19 contact tracing in England and (b) close contacts (i) identified and (ii) traced by those personnel.

Helen Whately: Contact tracing happening at a local level is not separate to that happening at a national level – all the information provided feeds into the central NHS Test and Trace. We have a national team of 12,000 call handler (Tier 3) contact tracers supported by our web-based contact tracing service and expanded local health protection teams based around the country reaching close contacts of thousands of positive cases and we are encouraged by the progress so far and user feedback. All information regarding those transferred to the contact tracing service is available at GOV.UK by region, upper tier local authority, total and percentage reached.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the release of the covid-19 contact tracing app.

Helen Whately: We have already released a pilot version of the app to a selected group of ‘Early Adopter’ users - NHS Volunteer Responders and residents of the Isle of Wight and the London Borough of Newham. The pilot is helping us test how the app performs at scale and learn about the user experience. This will inform national roll out in due course.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to adopt the independent SAGE Group's proposed zero covid-UK strategy.

Helen Whately: We are already undertaking a range of measures to tackle COVID-19, protect the National Health Service and help ensure that the country can return to normality as soon as possible.To prepare the National Health Service for winter, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion of funding. This includes money to allow the NHS to maintain the Nightingale surge capacity and continue to use the extra hospital capacity available within the independent sector.Effective local management of any outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave. To support local authorities, we have made £300 million available and they already have robust plans in place to respond to outbreaks.NHS winter preparations include delivering a very significantly expanded seasonal flu vaccination programme for priority groups.

Coronavirus: Children

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of children of essential workers that tested positive for covid-19 between March and July 2020.

Helen Whately: The Department does not currently hold this level of data.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he makes of the accuracy of previous R estimates for the rate of covid-19 transmission when actual transmission rates become measurable.

Helen Whately: The reproduction number (R) is the average number of secondary infections produced by a single infected person.‘R’ is an average value that can vary in different parts of the country, communities, and subsections of the population. It cannot be measured directly and is estimated based on data such as numbers of hospitalisations and deaths. There is always uncertainty around its exact value. This becomes even more of a problem when calculating ‘R’ using small numbers of cases, either due to lower infection rates or smaller geographical areas.The Government Office for Science currently publishes the latest estimate of ‘R’ for the United Kingdom and NHS England regions on a weekly basis. ‘R’ is estimated by a number of independent modelling groups based in universities and Public Health England (PHE). The modelling groups discuss their individual estimates at the Science Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (SPI-M) – a subgroup of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Attendees compare the different estimates and SPI-M collectively agrees a range which ‘R’ is very likely to be within, which is then reviewed and endorsed by SAGE. As part of this weekly review by SPI-M and SAGE, estimates of ‘R’ are considered alongside other metrics, such as estimates of prevalence and incidence from the Office of National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey, or trends from Pillar 2 testing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of occupational data is captured on the Coronavirus test booking system, by local authority area in England.

Helen Whately: Record level test and case data (including sex, age, occupation and postcode) is available to all upper tier local authorities who sign data sharing agreements. All now have access. The data are the latest that Public Health England will have received at the point of extraction.

Coronavirus: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tests for covid-19 have been completed at drive in testing centres in each month since they were established.

Helen Whately: Data on total test results sent out and conducted by Regional Test Sites has been published weekly since the start of the Test and Trace programme on 28 May. This can be found on the GOV.UK website. The information is not available in the format requested because it is currently not possible to split the data into drive-in testing centres.

Social Services

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the social care Green Paper.

Helen Whately: The Government’s number one priority for adult social care is for everyone who relies on care to get the care they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.We are committed to bringing forward a plan for social care to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and to find long-term solutions for one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. There are complex questions to address and it is important that we give these issues our full consideration in the light of current circumstances.

Organs: Donors

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his department has taken to raise awareness in (a) the general population and (b) BAME community of the changes to the law in England following the implementation of the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019 on 20 May 2020.

Helen Whately: NHS Blood and Transplant launched a communication campaign, on behalf of the Government in April 2019, to make the public fully aware of the new system of consent in England. The campaign has continued to date, with social media activity running through the summer. Activity will increase in the autumn, with radio and social media activity to coincide with Organ Donation Week. Television, video on demand, out of home and radio will run from November. There will be a further multimedia campaign in spring 2021 to reinforce the role of the family and normalising sharing a decision with family members. NHS Blood and Transplant will also be releasing new Key Stage 3 and 4 materials for schools.As part of the campaign, there have been specific initiatives to drive awareness amongst black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations. These have included engagement with faith leaders and community media advertising, targeted press release activity and case study stories. Such initiatives will continue, with specific focus on Black History Month in October and year 3 of the BAME Community Investment Scheme to be launched later this year.

Transplant Surgery

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has he made of the number of people on an organ transplant list who have (a) died and (b) become too unwell to receive a transplant between April and June 2020.

Helen Whately: Data from NHS Blood and Transplant shows that, unfortunately, between April and June 2020, 140 patients died whilst waiting for an organ on the transplant list and 53 patients were removed from the waiting list due to their condition deteriorating. This compares to 95 and 78 patients, respectively, in the same period in 2019.

Health Services: Coronavirus

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time is that it takes (a) directors of public health and (b) GPs to receive covid-19 test results.

Helen Whately: The vast majority of people who have a test through the National Testing Programme get their result the next day. Public Health England receives a data feed of these results after they have been processed by the labs and uploaded to the National Pathology Exchange every 30 minutes. The test results also flow into general practitioner records, if a National Health Service number or other identifying information has been provided.

Coronavirus: Screening

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made on the expansion of a major anti-body testing programme since the update to the Government's Coronavirus (COVID-19): antibody tests guidance, published on 22 May 2020.

Helen Whately: The Government believe a national antibody testing programme may provide a critical role in the next phase of this pandemic. We are already offering antibody tests to National Health Service and care staff in England, as well as patients and care residents at their clinician’s request. We are also using antibody tests to support research studies and support our understanding of how COVID-19 is spreading. We are developing a ‘finger prick’ antibody test that could be used at home and work is underway to ensure that any new type of testing is safe before being made available for use.

Public Health England: Reorganisation

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value is of funding for public health responsibilities which he plans to reallocate to bodies other than the National Institute for Health Protection as a result of the reorganisation of Public Health England.

Helen Whately: The Government is considering the future location of current Public Health England functions, including the detail of what is expected to transfer to the National Institute for Health Protection and what may be undertaken by other organisations. Decisions on the Government’s future public health investment will be taken as part of the Spending Review, which is due to conclude in the autumn.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish covid-19 testing data by postcode; and when he will be able to begin publishing that data.

Helen Whately: Data on tests, cases, healthcare and deaths are published daily at 4pm. Positive cases and deaths are at upper tier local authority level.Record level test and case data (including sex, age, occupation and postcode) is available to all upper tier local authorities who sign data sharing agreements. All now have access.We are continuing to improve our regular publishing of localised COVID-19 data.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he made of the potential merits of using local providers of contact tracing as part of the Government's covid-19 test and trace programme.

Helen Whately: We have always been clear that NHS Test and Trace must be local by default and that we do not operate alone – we work with and through partners across the country. Contact tracing happening at a local level is not separate to that happening at a national level – all the information provided feeds into NHS Test and Trace. This is a team effort – it will only work if national and local systems work together.NHS Test and Trace is working, and local action to tackle outbreaks and keep people safe is a crucial part of the national service.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the daily maximum capacity is for covid-19 tests in care homes.

Helen Whately: We are issuing over 50,000 tests a day to care homes across the country, with the majority of these in high priority outbreak areas. Any symptomatic person can get a test and care homes with suspected positive cases will be able to access whole home testing via their local Health Protection Team.

Coronavirus: Screening

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase covid-19 testing capacity in the community in addition to the local covid-19 testing centres.

Helen Whately: Since NHS Test and Trace launched, 3,529,188 people have been tested across the United Kingdom, of which 65.5% were tested under Pillar 2 (national swab testing) and 34.5% under Pillar 1 (testing in hospitals and outbreak locations). We are working to ensure that we continue to scale capacity to increase this number, allowing more people to be tested should they need it.We have exceeded the 200,000 testing capacity target, with current capacity standing at 326,086 as at 17 August 2020. We have established a network of testing sites across the UK with 73 Regional Test Sites, 17 Local Test Services (walk through), 22 Satellite Testing Centres and 236 Mobile Testing Units and we will look to increase this in the coming months to meet our needs.

Food: Import Duties

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that raw products imported into the UK for the use in advanced medical nutrition products will not be subject to tariffs at the end of the transition period.

Edward Argar: With negotiations with the European Union ongoing, the Government is committed to achieving a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU by December 2020 that ensures zero tariffs and zero quotas on United Kingdom-EU trade. However, if no FTA is agreed then the UK Global Tariff (UKGT) will apply to imports from the EU.As part of the UKGT, the Government is dropping tariffs to zero across a wide range of products which are used in UK production, reducing the cost pressures of inputs into UK manufacturing.

Wales Office

Hydrogen: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential role of Wales in the UK's hydrogen strategy; and what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK's hydrogen strategy.

Simon Hart: I regularly discuss a range of issues with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. BEIS ministers and I met earlier this month with companies looking to expand hydrogen production in Wales. Last month I also visited the hydrogen car manufacturer, Riversimple in Powys. Wales has the potential to lead in hydrogen generation technology and the UK Government is committed to ensuring that Wales plays its full part in delivering the UK’s future energy mix. For instance, the South Wales Industrial Cluster which is being supported by UK Research and Innovation’s £170m Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge is looking at options for decarbonising the region’s industrial base, including the use of hydrogen. The Government aims to consult on a preferred business model for low-carbon hydrogen production in 2021. This will be key to stimulating the deployment of hydrogen across the UK, including in Wales.

Department for Education

Private Education: Assessments

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what procedure is in place to allow privately- educated students who had their Centre Assessed Grades rejected by exam boards to seek recourse.

Nick Gibb: Where schools and colleges had accepted entries from external candidates (students who they did not teach themselves because they were home-educated, followed distance-learning programmes or studied independently), those students should have been taken account of in the process of producing centre assessment grades, where the head teacher or principal was confident that they and their staff had seen sufficient evidence of the student’s achievement to make an objective judgement.Not all external candidates were able to be awarded centre assessed grades this summer because they were not able to provide sufficient evidence to enable their exam centre to include them in their centre assessment grades and rankings. Students in this position will need to sit exams to get their grades, either in the autumn or in summer 2021.Students wishing to enter for autumn exams should do so via the school or college where they were due to sit their exams in the summer. The exception is students who did not achieve a grade 4 or above in english or maths GCSE. These students will take those exams at their post September institution.

Department for Education: Staff

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many members of staff in his Department have either equality, diversity or inclusion in their job title.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold information on job titles as our records are by job grade only, so the information requested cannot be provided.

After School Clubs: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has for the re-opening of before and after school club provision for children of working parents as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Vicky Ford: We recognise that breakfast and after-school provision are important sources of additional childcare for working parents and carers. It is for this reason that, as of 4 July, all providers offering before or after-school care and other out-of-school activities to children have been able to open with protective measures in place.As outlined in guidance for the full opening of schools, we are encouraging schools to resume offering breakfast and after-school provision, where possible, from the start of the autumn term. Schools should also work closely with any external wraparound providers which their pupils may use, to ensure as far as possible, children can be kept in a group with other children from the same bubble they are in during the school day. The full opening of schools guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.We have published further updated guidance for providers who run before and after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings for children on the protective measures that should be put in place from the start of the autumn term. This is to ensure they are operating as safely as possible when all children return to school. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Students: Coronavirus

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the 230,000 laptops distributed to students during the covid-19 outbreak have been returned to his Department.

Nick Gibb: The Department has delivered over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts for children who would not otherwise have access, as part of over £100 million invested to support remote education and access to online social care while schools were closed to the majority of pupils.The Department has published data about the delivery of devices which is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/892510/Devices_and_4G_wireless_routers_data_ad_hoc_stats.pdf.The devices were an injection of support to help local authorities and academy trusts to provide access to education and social care during the COVID-19 outbreak. Local authorities and academy trusts are responsible for distributing the devices and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.Devices are owned by the local authority, academy trust or school that received them. They retain ownership of the devices when schools fully reopen and can continue to use them to benefit the children and young people who need them most, including those who may face disruption to face-to-face education in the event of future local COVID-19 restrictions.

GCE A-level and GCSE: Assessments

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's policy is on fees charged to school pupils to re-sit (a) GCSE and (b) A-level examinations in autumn 2020.

Nick Gibb: The Department is providing funding support to schools on autumn exam fees and we expect school and colleges to pay these on behalf of all the students they enter in the autumn. This is set out in our guidance on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/responsibility-for-autumn-gcse-as-and-a-level-exam-series/centre-responsibility-for-autumn-gcse-as-and-a-level-exam-series-guidance.The autumn exams are an important backstop to the summer grade process and we are helping schools and colleges to offer them to students by assisting with additional space and invigilators where required, as well as covering exam fee deficits to ensure that exam fees are not passed on to students.

GCE A-Level and GCSE: Assessments

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of alternative algorithms and methods to moderate the 2020 GCSE and A-Level results; and for what reasons his Department decided to use the published algorithm.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what use (a) his Department and (b) Ofqual made of historic pupil value added data when moderating the 2020 (i) GCSE and (ii) A-level grades.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department made of the outcome of the results for pupils attending schools with larger than average class sizes in advance of the 2020 (a) GCSE and (b) A-level grades being moderated using Ofqual's algorithm for moderating.

Nick Gibb: The development of the algorithm used to moderate the 2020 GCSE and A level results was a matter for Ofqual as independent regulator.In April and May, Ofqual worked with technical experts across the sector to test 12 different statistical standardisation models using data from previous years. In selecting the final model, Ofqual chose the one that most accurately predicted students’ grades in a way that did not systematically affect groups of students with particular protected characteristics. Ofqual also considered operational issues, such as how easy it was to implement the approaches consistently across all four exam boards, and issues of transparency.Detailed analysis of the potential approaches to standardisation considered, and details of the testing of the different models, and the results of this testing, can be found in Ofqual’s published report at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-gcse-as-a-levels-in-summer-2020-interim-report.

Further Education: Newcastle upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to Further Education colleges in Newcastle to expand their retraining capacity.

Gillian Keegan: Approximately 50% of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) has been devolved to 7 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). From 2020/21 academic year, North of Tyne has taken responsibility of AEB funded education for their residents. Future AEB funded education in Newcastle will therefore, be provided by North of Tyne MCA.Since August 2019 Get Help to Retrain, has been available in the North East Local Enterprise Partnership Region. The digital service is part of the National Retraining Scheme which helps users to understand their current skills, explore alternative occupations that they could do and find and sign up to the training they need to access opportunities for a broad range of good jobs.Newcastle College is part of the NCG group, which comprises of 6 further education (FE) colleges across England and Newcastle Sixth Form College. NCG is receiving a share of the £200 million capital funding that has recently been allocated to FE colleges, to enable colleges to upgrade the condition of their estate in the current financial year. NCG will receive £4,597,902.Over the course of this Parliament, we are also providing £2.5 billion (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) for a new National Skills Fund to help people learn new skills and prepare for the economy of the future.We plan to consult widely on the National Skills Fund, and we will launch the consultation at a time when those who have an interest are better able to engage with the consultation. We will use these insights to build an understanding of how best to target the fund, to ensure we can provide the best return on investment.We are also developing our approach for the National Retraining Scheme in context of the new National Skills Fund and other approach reforms to adult skills funding and provision and we will provide a further update in due course.

Schools: Educational Visits

Laura Farris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking review his Department's guidance that advises against residential school trips, in light of the financial difficulty faced by (a) Rhos-Y-Gwaliau and (b) other outdoor activity centres and where those centres are able to accommodate school bubbles.

Nick Gibb: The guidance for full school opening continues to advise against UK overnight educational residential visits. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.This advice will remain under review and will be updated in line with guidance from Public Health England, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Adult Education: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support lifelong learning and skills development for adult workers needing to re-skill after the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: The government has made a significant £2.5 billion (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) funding commitment to the National Skills Fund. This is a substantial investment that provides a great opportunity to help workers and employers to have the skills they need to flourish and fulfil their potential.We are continuing to develop detailed proposals for the fund at pace, including considering how it could link to wider government COVID-19 recovery work. We will continue to review how the National Skills Fund can best meet the needs of individuals and employers.The National Skills Fund is just one part of a wider programme to reform the post-16 skills system that will ensure businesses and individuals are able to meet the challenges of the new economy.Alongside the National Skills Fund, the department has been working to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. We have announced measures across a range of targeted work-based training offers to support people to build the skills they need to get into work. This includes:£17 million to triple the number of sector-based work academy programme placements;A new payment of £1,500 to employers in England for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over; and£32 million to help 269,000 more people receive advice from the National Careers Service. We also launched The Skills Toolkit in April, a new online platform, giving access to free, high-quality digital and numeracy courses to help people build up their skills, progress in work and boost job prospects. We will shortly be announcing the expansion of this offer.The government appreciates the importance of adult education to improving people’s life chances. We will continue to explore options within adult education to aid the post-COVID recovery.

Digital Technology: Training

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2020 to Question 77609 on Digital Technology: Training, where the (a) details of the new entitlement which will ensure adults, aged 19 and over, with no or low digital skills can study for specified qualifications in essential digital skills up to Level 1 free of charge, and (b) new August 2020 national standards can be found.

Gillian Keegan: This government recognises the importance of digital skills for employability and participation in society. That is why we have introduced a legal entitlement to essential digital skills qualifications, which mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths, so adults with no or low digital skills will have the opportunity to undertake new digital qualifications free of charge. Further details can be found in the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) Qualification Funding Approval Manual 2020 to 2021, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualification-funding-approval. The Adult Education Budget Funding and Performance Management Rules 2020 to 2021 also provide further detail and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/adult-education-budget-aeb-funding-rules-2020-to-2021.The new digital entitlement for adults was introduced in August 2020 supported by new Essential Digital Skills qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1. EDSQs are a new qualification type designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills. These are based on new national standards for essential digital skills published in April 2019, which set out the digital skills people need to get on in life and work. These standards are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-standards-for-essential-digital-skills.A list of the EDSQs which are included in the digital entitlement for post 19 learners can be found by searching the ESFA’s list of qualifications approved for funding at: https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search.

Further Education: Coronavirus

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) assessment he has made of and (b) plans he has to monitor the adequacy of covid-19 risk assessments undertaken by further education colleges.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contingency planning he has undertaken to support sixth form students in the event they are unable to fully return to college in September 2020.

Gillian Keegan: Further education college corporations as statutory corporations and exempt charities are responsible for completing risk assessments and the board must publish a statement in its annual accounts about how it manages risk. Health and safety legislation requires employers to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect staff, students and others from COVID-19 within the education setting.As set out in the further education autumn return guidance, further education providers are responsible for ensuring that these risk assessments are adequate and meet the relevant legal requirements.We expect most students will be able to fully return to college in the autumn term, apart from a small number of students who are self-isolating or have been advised not to attend due to local restrictions. In these circumstances, we expect colleges to make sure education and training is delivered remotely, as set out in our further education autumn return guidance published on 2 July and updated on 29 August. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the-start-of-the-2020-autumn-term.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on training designated senior mental health leads in schools since that policy was announced in 2017.

Vicky Ford: The COVID-19 outbreak has had wide-reaching impacts across the education sector. In response, the government has initially prioritised providing bespoke training and support to meet the immediate challenges that all schools and colleges will face in supporting the wellbeing of children and young people during the outbreak and the wider return to schools and colleges.Our £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return initiative will train local experts to provide additional training and advice for schools and colleges to help support pupil and student wellbeing, resilience and recovery in light of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown. It is being delivered in partnership with local authorities, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Health and Safety Commission, Health Education England, Public Health England, NHS England and voluntary sector organisations. It will give staff the confidence to support pupils and students, their parents, carers and their own colleagues, and help them know how and where to access appropriate specialist support when needed.In addition, government guidance has advised schools on supporting mental health and wellbeing during the outbreak and specialist NHS services have remained open throughout. We have also provided over £9 million to leading mental health charities to help them expand and reach those most in need.Alongside this additional new support, the government remains committed to the longer term improvements set out in the government’s 2018 response to the consultation on the relevant green paper. This includes our commitment to train senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, which we will take forward as soon as possible.

Schools: Coronavirus

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of schools providing care before and after the start of the school day on reopening as the covid-19 restrictions are eased.

Vicky Ford: As of 4 July, providers offering before or after-school care and other out-of-school activities to children have been able to open, both on or away from school premises, with protective measures in place.The department does not hold a central register of all wraparound provision and so does not routinely collect data on the number of providers in operation. However, newly established REACT teams, comprising education and social care staff from both this department and Ofsted, are working closely with local authorities and will be a valuable source of intelligence on the sufficiency of wraparound care places in local areas.We are also encouraging schools to resume their breakfast and after-school club provision, where possible, from the start of the autumn term; and, as part of our guidance to schools on full opening, have provided them with guidance to support them in reopening this valuable provision, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#wraparound-provision-and-extra-curricular-activity.Schools should also be working closely with any external wraparound providers which their pupils may use, to ensure as far as possible, children can be kept in a group with other children from the same bubble they are in during the school day; and we have published further updated guidance for providers who run before and after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings for children on the protective measures that should be put in place from the start of the autumn term, to ensure they are operating as safely as possible when all children return to school. This guidance is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Disability and Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of children with special educational needs or disabilities who have not yet returned to mainstream school places; and what steps his Department is taking to support those children.

Vicky Ford: The department does not hold data on the attendance levels of all pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) in mainstream settings. The department is, however, collecting data on the attendance of pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans and this will be published in due course.The government has clearly set out its position that all pupils, including those with SEND, should be returning to schools from the start of the autumn term. Our guidance is clear that schools should work closely with parents and carers to agree the best approach to support children and young people with SEND to return to school successfully:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.Where children are unable to attend school because they are following Public Health England guidance to self-isolate, or because they are among the very small proportion of children who are ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ and have been advised by their own medical team to continue shielding, schools should provide immediate remote education provision so they can continue their learning and development.

Special Schools: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of special schools have not yet reopened in (a) London and (b) England as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and what steps his Department is taking to support the children affected by those closures.

Vicky Ford: The department is collecting school level opening and attendance statistics for the current academic year, including those for special schools. We intend to publish these statistics at a future date.The government has set out clearly its position that all pupils, including those with special educational needs or disabilities, should be returning to schools from the start of the autumn term. Our guidance is clear that schools should work closely with parents and carers to agree the best approach to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to return to school successfully. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.Where children are unable to attend school because they are following Public Health England guidance to self-isolate, or because they are among the very small proportion of children who are ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ and have been advised by their own medical team to continue shielding, schools should provide immediate remote education provision so they can continue their learning and development.

Ministry of Justice

Private Rented Housing: Repossession Orders

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when courts will resume hearing private rented sector related possession cases; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Philp: Courts will resume hearing possession cases following the end of the stay of possession proceedings on 20 September 2020.

Hen Harriers: Conservation

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been for persecuting a hen harrier in England in each of the last 10 years.

Lucy Frazer: It is not possible to identify from centrally held data the number of prosecutions and convictions for persecuting a hen harrier in England. This particular bird cannot be disaggregated from broader offences under sections 1 and 21 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Child Support and Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was for the Tribunals Service to administer a First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support appeal for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits, (f) universal credit in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Chris Philp: Information about clearance times for appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about the timeliness of (a) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), (b) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and (f) Universal Credit (UC) appeals for hearing venues covering (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England for the period January – March 2020, the latest period for which data are available. The table below contains the requested information for (c) Income Support (IS), (d) Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and (e) Tax Credits:Average length of time to administer appeals (in weeks) for the period January to March 2020 (the latest period for which data are available) ISJSATax Credits1Coventry0~~West Midlands2495630England34143291. Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit.2. SSCS data are recorded by the office that dealt with the case, and if the case went to oral hearing, the location of the tribunal hearing, normally the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. Cases relating to the West Midlands region are attributed to the following SSCS venues: Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coventry, Nuneaton, Stoke, Shrewsbury, Hereford and Worcester.3. Excludes SSCS Scotland and Wales Regions.0 Equals zero appeals were heard during the period in question.~ Equates to fewer than five appeals heard during the period in question.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.The data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics as these data were run on a different date. Waiting times are calculated from receipt of an appeal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier, for its final disposal.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to make all benefits appeals forms available to be completed electronically.

Chris Philp: Currently, 86%1 of all appeals (Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit) can be submitted electronically to the First-tier Tribunal, Social Security and Child Support.HM Courts and Tribunals Service is developing plans to digitise the remaining appeal types by December 2021. As the option to submit appeals by paper will continue to be available to appellants, this may involve scanning paper appeal forms to enable them subsequently to be processed electronically.Forms for all benefit appeals are available to download at GOV.UK. 1 Based on the period April to March 2020, the latest period for which data are available.

Funerals: Costs

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help reduce the cost of services provided by funeral companies.

Alex Chalk: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently undertaking a full market investigation into the supply of services by funeral directors at the point of need and the supply of crematoria services, in light of the findings of a preceding market study. The CMA’s Provisional Decision Report on the market investigation was published on 13 August 2020, and it is required to publish its final report by 27 March 2021.The Government is grateful for the CMA’s provisional findings and will give full consideration to its final report in due course.The DWP Funeral Expenses Payments (FEP) scheme provides an important contribution towards the cost of a funeral arranged by someone who is in receipt of certain income based benefits including Universal Credit.The scheme meets the necessary costs of a burial or cremation in full and, in April 2020, the additional element that can help with expenses such as the costs of a coffin or the services of a funeral director was increased from £700 to £1000.

Church Commissioners

Explosions: Lebanon

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England is providing to the church and people of Lebanon to recover and rebuild following the explosion in the port of Beirut.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Church of England: Investment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how the Church is using its investment portfolio to encourage (a) ethical business practices and (b) a reduction in dependency on fossil fuels.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Christianity: South Sudan

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England is providing to the church in South Sudan following the shootings of 32 people and the death of the Dean at the cathedral of Saint Luke's in South Sudan.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

St Margaret's Church Westminster: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations he has received on the continuation of Sunday services at St Margaret's, Westminster.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Churches: Theft

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England plans to take to tackle the theft of lead from churches.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support mental health during the covid-19 pandemic.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Marriage

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support marriage (a) for couples on low incomes (b) more widely.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ordination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress the Church of England has been made on increasing the number of ordinands.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Churches

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress the Church of England is making on its plans to establish 2,700 churches over the next ten years.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Churches: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress the Church of England is making on reopening (a) churches and (b) cathedrals for (i) worship, (ii) weddings and (Iii) other ceremonies.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Christianity: Oppression

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the extent of the global persecution of Christians during the covid-19 pandemic.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Church Schools: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support children to return to school as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Israel: Palestinians

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2020 to Question 73751 on Israel: Palestinians, when the research component will be completed; and whether it will be published.

James Cleverly: The research component for this programme is very important as it seeks to look more broadly at the impact of People-to-People work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to build the evidence base in this area - something that is presently limited.Work on this is currently underway by an internal panel who are reviewing the report. The panel hope to complete their review by Autumn this year. Once the full process of analysing the findings is complete, we will then use this research to inform future programming decisions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We will seek to publish the research results in due course.

Overseas Aid: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its plans for (a) parliamentary and (b) independent scrutiny of the UK’s aid budget.

James Cleverly: (a) With the formation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office, the House of Commons may wish to reconfigure the select committee structure. We will reflect carefully on the recommendations of the International Development Committee and the Liaison Committee before bringing forward motions on committee structures for the House to agree later in the year.b) This Government is committed to transparency and robust scrutiny of Official Development Assistance expenditure. On 29 August, the Foreign Secretary announced that the Independent Commission for Aid Impact will continue its vital role scrutinising UK aid.

Libya: Freezing of Assets

Simon Hoare: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Libyan Investment Authority and (b) his counterparts at the UN on the potential variation of the terms under which Qadhafi-era assets are frozen in the UK.

James Cleverly: Libyan assets in the UK were frozen in 2011 under UN Security Council Resolution 1973, at the request of the Libyan authorities. We are not aware of any formal request by the Libyan Investment Authority to the UN to vary the terms under which assets are frozen. No recent discussions have taken place.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of DfID's merger with his Department on UK humanitarian aid to Gaza.

James Cleverly: The creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office allows us to bring together the UK's international effort and maximise our influence around the world, including in Gaza. Our recent £840,000 funding contribution is enabling the World Health Organization and UNICEF to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity. The Foreign Secretary also recently announced a further £2.7 million funding to UN agencies to provide food assistance, medical supplies and personal protection for the most vulnerable Palestinians.The UK Government remains deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. The current situation is unsustainable. In addition to our commitment to funding, our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate-General in Jerusalem frequently urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve conditions in Gaza. The UK will continue to work to help address the humanitarian situation and improve the lives of the people of Gaza.

Iran: Refugees

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to (a) his counterpart in Iran and (b) the Iranian embassy on (i) allegations that (A) a number of Afghan refugees were killed in a recent car fire started by Iranian officers shooting at the vehicle and (B) others were drowned after being forced into a river at gunpoint and (ii) other reports of mistreatment of Afghan refugees by the Iranian authorities.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations at the next UN Security Council meeting on (a) allegations that (i) a number of Afghan refugees were killed in a recent car fire started by Iranian officers shooting at the vehicle and (ii) others were drowned after being forced into a river at gunpoint and (b) other reports of mistreatment of those refugees by the Iranian authorities.

James Cleverly: The UK is concerned by the troubling, reported incidents involving Afghan refugees in May and June. Our Embassies in Tehran and Kabul have discussed our concerns regarding Afghan migrants in in Iran with their respective host governments, and we continue to monitor the situation on the Afghanistan-Iran border closely.We welcome the joint statement issued on 22 June by the Foreign Ministers of the Governments of Iran and Afghanistan that called for both sides to take measures to prevent future incidents and enhance border security and management. We are in frequent contact with Iranian officials on issues involving Afghanistan, and raise the importance of supporting vulnerable refugee communities. We also raise this issue with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. At the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council on 26 June, the UK welcomed the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total budget was this year for DFID's Pakistan programme; and with reference to his 22 July announcement of cuts to the aid budget of £2.9bn, how much will be cut from the programme's proposed spend.

Nigel Adams: Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Indonesia: Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total budget was this year for DFID's Indonesia programme; and with reference to his 22 July announcement of cuts to the aid budget of £2.9bn, how much will be cut from the programme's proposed spend.

Nigel Adams: Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Government Departments: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to allocate the same proportion of Official Development Assistance through other Government departments.

Wendy Morton: HM Treasury will set Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets across government as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review taking place this year.

British Overseas Territories: Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total budget was this year for DFID's Overseas Territories programme; and with reference to his 22 July announcement of cuts to the aid budget of £2.9bn, how much will be cut from the programme's proposed spend.

Wendy Morton: Revised Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at the Autumn Budget. The next step will be to discuss specific savings with suppliers and partners and revised ODA allocations will be published in due course after this has been completed.The Statistics for International Development published in 2021 will provide a full breakdown of the UK's ODA spend for 2020.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Gender

Allan Dorans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) retain and (b) promote the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality.

Wendy Morton: Advancing gender equality and women's rights are a core part of the UK Government's mission, and Global Britain's role as a force for good in the world, including fulfilling every girl's right to 12 years of quality education. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.The new FCDO will continue to be a progressive force for women and girls, including for their sexual and reproductive health and rights and ensuring that their needs are central to our COVID-19 humanitarian response. We will work closely with partners across HMG to leverage the best development, diplomatic, defence and trade approaches to achieve maximum impact.As part of the launch of the new Department, we will refresh and build on existing strategies, as well as develop new approaches, but we do not see the core ambitions of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality changing. The challenges of advancing girls' education, sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), women's political empowerment, women's economic empowerment and ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) are as acute now, if not more so, as when we published the strategy in 2018.

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review: Gender

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy includes advancing gender equality as a key priority for his Department.

James Cleverly: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Kenya: Counter-terrorism

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Secret Intelligence Service requires ministerial approval to share intelligence on the location of terror suspects with Kenyan intelligence agencies; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

China: International Organisations

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of Chinese Communist Party officials holding senior positions in United Nations agencies and other international organisations; and whether his Department has made an assessment of potential trends in the number of Chinese Communist Party officials holding senior positions in those agencies and international organisation in the next five years.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Taiwan: World Health Organisation

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to build support to help Taiwan gain observer status on the World Health Organisation in advance of the November 2020 meeting of the World Health Assembly.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Montenegro: Violence

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Montenegrin counterpart on reports of sectarian violence and intimidation following the recent elections in that country.

Wendy Morton: The UK has publicly expressed concern about reports of violence following the recent elections in Montenegro. Our Embassy has made clear to government and opposition representatives our expectation that all political actors in Montenegro uphold democratic values, including full respect for minority rights.

Trade Unions: Coronavirus

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2020 to Question 48267 on Trade Unions: Coronavirus, what specific steps his Department has taken to monitor abuse of trade union rights worldwide; and what steps he has taken to help tackle that abuse.

Nigel Adams: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 27 May to Question 48267. The UK Government remains committed to standing up for human rights and supports all efforts by the UN to minimise long-term damage to global economies, societies, politics and freedoms.

Myanmar: Rohingya

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the 2 September 2020 joint statement of Canada and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on intervention in The Gambia v. Myanmar case at the International Court of Justice, what support he plans to give to The Gambia in that case.

Nigel Adams: UK officials were notified on 2 September of The Netherlands and Canada's intention to intervene in Gambia's case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We continue to monitor proceedings closely and will consider carefully whether a UK intervention would add value to the merits of the case. We have been clear in our support for the ICJ process, which is putting pressure on Myanmar to protect the Rohingya, to deal with the deep rooted issues in Rakhine State and to work towards genuine accountability. The UK provided funding to support Rohingya activists to attend the hearings in December. We welcomed the International Court of Justice's decision on provisional measures and we continue to urge the Government of Myanmar to comply with the ruling. Following a request from the UK and partners, the UN Security Council met to discuss the ICJ's decision on provisional measures. In our statement to the Council, we urged Myanmar to abide by the provisional measures.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Declassified UK

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department’s media officers made of the implications for their adherence to Government Communication Service propriety guidance on dealing with all news media even-handedly when they decided not to deal with the media organisation Declassified UK.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department’s press office decided to no longer deal with the news outlet Declassified UK.

Jeremy Quin: The Department is looking into the specifics raised in the hon. Member’s question and we will write to him shortly.

Defence: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made representations to his overseas counterparts on accelerating transnational defence programmes as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence has engaged with international partners on our military capability programmes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussions have focused on maintaining programmes and managing the implications of the pandemic and minimising its impact on our programmes, including on the supply chain.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Spare Parts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the lack of spare parts for the F-35 does not affect future flying hours of the aircraft.

Jeremy Quin: Logistic and technical support for the UK F-35 fleet is delivered through the US F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) Global Support Solution. This continues to provide the required levels of support to the UK's F-35 Lightning fleet. The availability of spare parts and technical advice remains constant and within agreed and contracted target levels.The JPO continues to forecast no impact from the Covid-19 pandemic on its ability to support the worldwide F-35 fleet.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timeframe is for the rollout of Meteor on the UK's F-35b.

Jeremy Quin: Initial development work for Meteor integration has progressed well. Final contract award is currently under negotiation which, on current plans, would deliver the integration of Meteor on the F-35B Lightning in the middle of this decade.

European Fighter Aircraft: Radar

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timeframe is for the rollout of AESA radar for the Typhoon.

Jeremy Quin: Under current plans, the RAF's 40 Tranche 3 Typhoons will be equipped with the European Common Radar System Mk2 from the middle of this decade, with aircraft test and evaluation planned from 2022.

Military Exercises

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which multi-national military exercises UK armed forces (a) are participating and (b) have participated since the UK left the EU conducted under the aegis of (i) NATO, (ii) defence organisations that are part of EU structures and (iii) other defence organisations; and what the (A) location, (B) duration and (C) purpose has been of each military exercise.

James Heappey: The UK is only participating in two NATO exercises in the coming months.  NATOJOINT WARRIOR 20-2West Coast Scotland2 Weeks (Sep 20)NATO Force Generation and Validation ExerciseNATOLOYAL LEDAUK3 Weeks (Nov 20)NATO Collective Training Exercise  The UK has participated in the following exercises under the auspices of NATO, the European Union or other Defence Organisations since 31 January 2020. NATOJOINT WARRIOR 20-1West Coast Scotland2 Weeks (Mar 20)Carrier Strike Group 21 NATO Force Generation and Validation ExerciseNATOPILA BESOKNorway2 Weeks (Mar 20)Planning ExerciseNATOCOLD RESPONSE 20Norway/North Sea2 Months (Feb 20)Maritime Amphibious Task Group and Lead Commando Group NATO Chapter 4 LIVEXEUQUICK RESPONSEBosnia & Herzegovina3 Weeks (Aug 20)OP ALTHEA Annual reinforcement rehearsal exercise

Saab: Lancashire

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many jobs will be created by Saab’s new facility in Lancashire.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence welcomes Saab's announcement that it is creating a specialist hub for its participation in the Future Combat Air Systems programme. While the details of the centre are a matter for Saab, the company has committed to opening it within the next year, bringing a range of valuable high-skilled jobs to the UK economy. We understand that Saab will make an announcement on the location of the centre, together with the number of associated jobs in due course.

Challenger Tanks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on capability of mothballing Challenger 2 tanks.

Jeremy Quin: The UK Government is undertaking the deepest and most radical Review of Britain's foreign, security, defence, and development policy since the end of the Cold War. This is a unique moment for Defence to rebalance and transform itself to address the ever-evolving threats in our rapidly changing world. It is too early to discuss which specific capabilities Defence needs to meet these threats, but I can assure you that this country will continue to have the world class Armed Forces that it needs and deserves.

Military Aid

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department took to ensure that any action taken by RAF aircraft in the English Channel did not contravene the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea.

James Heappey: Legal and specialist advice is sought prior to the provision of Defence support. In the rendering of assistance to the Home Office to counter the illegal migration of people into the UK every legal advice was sought prior to any deployment of Defence assets.

Inappropriate Behaviours in the Armed Forces Review

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultation process he has put in place for the chair of the people committee’s review into his Department’s progress implementing the Wigston review recommendations.

Johnny Mercer: At the request of the Secretary of State, Danuta Gray (Non-Executive Director and Chair of the People Committee) agreed to conduct a 'one year on' review of the Wigston Report. The review commenced on the first anniversary of the Wigston Report (15 July 2020) and will run for three months. It will examine the progress that has been made by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Head Office and the Armed Forces in implementing the recommendations. In conducting the review, Ms Gray is keen to understand the experience and perspective of the widest range of Defence personnel possible and will therefore engage with senior officers from the single Services and MOD Civil Service, as well as a broad range of personnel at ranks and grades below that. A report will be published later in the year.

Military Aid

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Home Office has reimbursed his Department for the use of RAF aircraft over the English Channel.

James Heappey: The activity conducted by RAF aircraft in the Channel is in support of the Border Force and has been incorporated into training plans. As such Defence support has been provided at nil additional cost to the Home Office.

Department for Work and Pensions

Redundancy: Coronavirus

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to support people who have been made redundant as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to (a) access training and skills support and (b) secure suitable alternative employment.

Mims Davies: We know this is a worrying time for people, and DWP are ready to support anyone impacted by job loss. In response to covid-19, DWP has established an alternative service to our usual face to face offer. People will be able to access redundancy help and job search advice on the Department’s new Job Help campaign website. There’s also information on gov.uk. and updated information packs provided to employers to help them signpost employees to the support that is available. The support available includes: Connecting people to jobs in the labour market though our Find a Job website, virtual jobs fairs, Sector-based Work Academy Programmes and mentoring circle opportunities.Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market)What benefits they may get and how to claim This service is co-ordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Delivery partners include The National Careers Service, local training providers, employers, HMRC, Money Advice Service and the skills bodies in England. These services are offered by equivalents in the devolved administrations PACE (Scotland) and ReAct (Wales). Redundancy support in Northern Ireland is devolved with separate funding and delivery arrangements where no partner support is available In Scotland this is delivered by PACE on behalf of the Scottish Government and in Wales by REACT. Alongside these partners DWP will be offering: Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability.Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc. In addition to this the new Kickstart scheme is underway. This is a £2bn programme which will create thousands of new jobs for young people aged between 16-24 who will be offered six-month work placements with wages paid by the UK Government.DWP are also developing a Job Finding Support package which will help people who have recently lost their job. It will offer a digital service to provide tailored one-to-one job finding support.The service will provide support to help people increase their employability and provide links to suitable employers.

Department for Work and Pensions: Ethnic Groups

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) progression of its BAME staff.

Mims Davies: The Department is committed to the Civil Service ambition to become the UK’s most inclusive employer and increasing the representation of under-represented groups to make DWP more diverse. We are undertaking work to better understand the lived experiences of BAME colleagues and the career progression barriers they face. For example, we have implemented Listening Circles and held Let’s Talk About Race conversations throughout our organisation and are using the insight and feedback captured to help inform our departmental Race Priorities and Plan.We have strengthened our commitment to Sponsorship and have extended this to all of our Senior Civil Servants with the expectation that their personal intervention will support BAME colleagues to move into new roles/projects to further develop their skills, or move to a role on promotion.To further support career progression we also continue to actively promote Civil Service development opportunities which include: Future/Senior Leaders Scheme; the Civil Service Ethnic Diversity Programme; and access to the Civil Service Race to the Top staff networks.We have introduced a departmental Catalyst programme which provides under-represented colleagues at Grades 6 and 7 with access to development opportunities, inspirational speakers and senior sponsorship to support their career and leadership journeys.We have implemented a number of improvements to our recruitment and selection methods which include: improved marketing of DWP as a diverse and inclusive employer of choice; mandated ethnic minority representation for our senior recruitment panels; implemented anonymised recruitment to minimise bias; and introduced a new strengths based approach to our recruitment.

Department for Work and Pensions: Ethnic Groups

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the ethnic breakdown is of her Department’s workforce at each civil service grade.

Mims Davies: The declaration of ethnic origin is entirely voluntary within our internal HR reporting system. As a consequence, we do not hold an exhaustive record of all DWP employee ethnic origin, which could be used to provide a response to the question being asked.

Universal Credit

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is the Government's policy to extend the £20 monthly uplift to universal credit beyond Spring 2021.

Will Quince: The Government has introduced a package of temporary welfare measures worth around £9.3 billion this year to help with the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chancellor announced a series of policies to support people, jobs and businesses on 20 March 2020 during which he confirmed an increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance for 12 months, in addition to planned uprating of 1.7%. Further decisions on spending will be made at the next fiscal event. In addition to the standard allowance increase, Universal Credit claimants have also benefited from an increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates so that it covers the lowest third of local rents, and during Covid-19 the Minimum Income Floor, (an assumed level of earnings) has been relaxed to zero for self-employed claimants.

Kickstart Scheme

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the Kickstart scheme to allow smaller businesses to take on fewer than 30 new workers under the scheme.

Mims Davies: Companies looking to recruit fewer than 30 Kickstart applicants are still able to benefit from Kickstart by bidding for placements via an intermediary organisation. Intermediaries can gather employers keen to offer Kickstart jobs to make a collective bid of 30 or more vacancies. Smaller employers will have support from the intermediary to create high quality roles and additional support so that young people get the most out of their placement. This also reduces the administrative burden falling on the small employer. The department has received significant interest from a wide range of bodies including local authorities, charities and trade/industry bodies looking to become intermediaries.

First Aid: Mental Health

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 to strengthen the provisions protecting mental health within existing legislation and enshrine parity of esteem for mental health in law.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. Member to my previous response to question 53549.

Department for Work and Pensions: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in her Department's human resources section in April 2020.

Mims Davies: We are able to provide the following figures for March 2020:  HeadcountFTENo. of HR Staff excluding Shared Services378352 Source: DWP return to Cabinet Office – issued 12 June 2020

Universal Credit: Young People

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for universal credit made by people aged under 25 in (a) March, (b) April, (c) May, (d) June and (e) July are still being processed.

Will Quince: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Universal Credit is standing up to the challenge in this unprecedented time with around 90% of claimants paid in full and on time.

Kickstart Scheme

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the Government has set the minimum level of Kickstart Scheme roles at 30 per company.

Mims Davies: Companies looking to offer roles to fewer than 30 Kickstart applicants are able to benefit from Kickstart by bidding for placements via an intermediary organisation. Intermediaries can gather employers keen to offer Kickstart jobs to make a collective bid of 30 or more vacancies. Smaller employers will have support from the intermediary to create quality roles and additional support so that young people get the most out of their placement, including training, this also reduces the administrative burden falling on the small employer. The department has received significant interest from a wide range of bodies including local authorities, charities and trade/industry bodies looking to become intermediaries.

Jobcentres

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Parliamentary constituencies do not contain any open JobCentre Plus sites.

Mims Davies: Jobcentres have remained open to support our most vulnerable claimants throughout this health emergency, in accordance with PHE and Devolved Government guidelines on social distancing. By implementing safety measures across our Jobcentres we can provide face-to-face support to any claimant who needs it.

Children: Maintenance

Mark Jenkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to reference to the Child Maintenance Service standard practice of making reassessments when there is a 25 per cent reduction in income, what estimate the Child Maintenance Service has made of the number of non-resident parents whose income has been reduced by 20 per cent under the Government's furlough scheme in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: The CMS has not made any estimate of the number of non-resident parents whose income has been reduced by 20% under the Government’s furlough scheme. The Government recognises that the income of many separated parents has been affected by the public health emergency. Parents should continue to financially support their children by paying their child maintenance. At the same time, liabilities should remain affordable for paying parents at a time of substantial and rapid fluctuation in incomes. The scheme is designed so that liabilities remain consistent over the year, with limited changes. The calculation is reviewed annually, and generally only changes during the year if a parents’ income increases or decreases by at least 25 per cent. This balances consistency for children with support for parents experiencing a reduction in income.

Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on the National Strategy for Disabled People.

Justin Tomlinson: The National Strategy for Disabled People is a key manifesto commitment for this Government and its delivery remains important for ministers, including No. 10. Its significance is even greater, as we re-build the UK's economy and society in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to achieve practical changes for disabled people, which remove barriers and increase opportunity, and are engaging widely with stakeholders including via Ministerial and official-led roundtables, a Disabled People’s Organisations forum, our Regional Stakeholder Network, and other meetings. We will also, through online engagement and other routes, enable disabled people to directly share views and insights on key challenges, as a central voice as the Strategy is developed. Through this work and further engagement, we plan to publish the high ambition strategy that the Prime Minister has called for in Spring 2021.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that claimants suffering from long-term effects of covid-19 can access appropriate welfare support.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN:78723.

Employment: Coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has published for employers to support employees suffering from the long-term effects of covid-19.

Justin Tomlinson: Research into the long-term health symptoms and impacts of COVID-19 is ongoing. However, it is clear that for some of those who have survived, the virus and the treatment they have received to combat it will have a lasting impact on their health.Employers have particular responsibilities towards disabled workers including making reasonable adjustments to avoid disabled workers being put at a disadvantage. DWP’s new Employer Help site provides advice on employment of disabled people, explaining how Access to Work and Disability Confident can help businesses to ensure their practices are fair and inclusive. The law is clear: to discriminate directly, or indirectly, against anyone because of a protected characteristic such as age, sex or disability, race or ethnicity is unlawful. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the coronavirus pandemic.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries: Quotas

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the proportion of the UK Fishing Quota that is used by companies headquartered (a) in the UK, (b) in the EU and (c) elsewhere in the world.

Victoria Prentis: UK quota is only allocated to vessels registered and licensed in the UK. This is predominantly done using Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) units. The FQA register contains a publicly available list of the companies and individuals who hold these FQA units. This is available on the GOV.UK website. No assessment has been carried out regarding where these companies are headquartered. Regardless of where their headquarters are located, all vessels to which UK quota is allocated must comply with all UK fisheries rules including the economic link condition. The economic link ensures that the UK accrues benefit from UK quota. It requires all UK-registered vessels, including those that are foreign owned, to provide genuine economic benefits to those communities in the UK that are dependent on fisheries and fisheries related industries.

Farms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total area of farmland is in (a) England and (b) the UK; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of that land that is put to agricultural use.

Victoria Prentis: The total agricultural area in 2019 was 9,604,512 hectares in England and 18,848,943 hectares in the UK. The utilised agricultural area accounts for 94% (9,059,462 hectares) of the total agricultural area in England and 93% (17,531,535 hectares) in the UK. The utilised agricultural area includes all arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, common rough grazing, temporary and permanent grassland and land used for outdoor pigs. It excludes woodland and other non-agricultural land (such as tracks, ponds and yards).

Fisheries: Marine Protected Areas

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of hours spent by supertrawlers in protected areas of UK waters in each of the last five years.

Victoria Prentis: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. Our Fisheries Bill prohibits any commercial fishing vessel from operating in UK waters without a licence. It also provides powers to attach conditions (such as the areas that can be fished, species that can be caught and the type of fishing gear that can be used) to fishing vessel licences. Foreign vessels operating in UK waters will have to follow UK rules, including the conditions that are attached to their commercial fishing licence.

Dogs: Imports

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure enforcement of the Live transport: welfare regulations to prevent pregnant dogs in their last 10 per cent of pregnancy from being imported into the UK.

Victoria Prentis: We operate one of the most rigorous border-checking regimes in Europe. When animals are transported for a commercial purpose, their transportation must comply fully with legal requirements aimed at protecting their welfare. The current EU Regulation which provides protection for animals during transport sets out those animals which are not considered fit for transport, and this includes those that are in the last 10% of gestation. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) takes an intelligence-led approach at the border aimed at disrupting the illegal trade in dogs. As part of this activity APHA identifies and acts to safeguard the welfare of animals where transport is non-compliant with the requirements of the law. During 2020, eight dogs were detained by APHA as being in the last 10% of gestation. An additional 11 pregnant bitches not in their last 10% were also detained. APHA continues to work closely with its local authority enforcement partners to support enforcement action and prosecution of those involved in this trade.

Animal Welfare

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is Government policy to bring forward legislative proposals on animal sentience; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is committed to further strengthening our world-leading animal welfare standards. We have committed to bringing in new laws on animal sentience. Any necessary changes required to domestic legislation will be made in an effective and credible way and will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in his Department's human resources section in April 2020.

Victoria Prentis: The full-time equivalent number of staff in the department’s Human Resources section as at 30 April 2020 was 257.1

Cane Sugar: Import Duties

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on the (a) decision to include a 260,000 tonnes Autonomous Tariff Quota for raw cane sugar in the Government's UK Global Tariff scheme and (b) effect of that decision on (i) the UK sugar beet industry, (ii) Tate & Lyle Sugars and (iii) the protection of UK food production standards in trade policy.

Victoria Prentis: The Secretary of State and his counterpart at the Department for International Trade regularly consulted one another throughout the development of the UK Global Tariff (UKGT) The Government has sought a balance between the interests of domestic production, processing and developing country preferences. To achieve this balance, the UKGT retains tariffs on sugar products, while opening a new Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) of 260,000 tonnes that will apply from 1 January 2021, for 12 months, with an in-quota rate of 0.00%.We are proud of the high food safety and production standards that underpin our high-quality Great British produce. We have no intention of undermining our own reputation for quality by lowering our food and animal welfare standards. We have been clear that we will remain committed to high standards. We always committed to reviewing this ATQ and will write to you in due course.

Plastics: Pollution

Selaine Saxby: What steps he is taking to tackle plastic pollution.

Rebecca Pow: We have made real progress in tackling plastic pollution. We have introduced a microbead ban and reduced single-use plastic carrier bag usage by 95% in the main supermarkets. We are increasing the single-use carrier bag charge to 10p and extending it to all retailers and we are restricting the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton-buds. We are seeking powers in the Environment Bill to charge for single-use plastic items, make recycling more consistent and reform packaging waste regulations.

Question

Munira Wilson: What assessment the Government has made of the potential role of hydrogen technology in improving air quality.

Rebecca Pow: The potential role of hydrogen technology has been considered in a number of Government publications, including Defra’s Air Quality Expert Group’s recent report, ‘Impacts of Net Zero pathways on future air quality in the UK,’ the outputs of the Department for Transport’s ‘Transport Energy Model,’ and also in two literature reviews published by BEIS of the emissions likely to arise from hydrogen combustion and of the atmospheric impacts of hydrogen.

Arable Farming

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on requiring farmers to protect land for wildlife at the edge of fields under cultivation.

Rebecca Pow: Wildlife not only plays an important role in the health and abundance of our nation's natural resources but also assumes a crucial role in England's agricultural success. Defra has ensured that we have a policy package that includes both legal protections and funding enhancements. This dual approach supports the Government's deep commitment to the environment, reflected in the goals we have set through the 25 Year Environment Plan. Defra will support farmers in turning over fields to meadows rich in herbs and wildflowers, planting more trees, restoring habitats for endangered species, recovering soil fertility and attracting our wildlife back.Following our exit from the EU, farmers and land managers continue to be required to comply with domestic legislation, including compliance with regulations that cover water courses, hedgerows, buffer strips for fertiliser and manure application. Farmers and land managers must comply with these regulations even after rules that relate to CAP payments cease to have effect.Legal protection for hedgerows is provided by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997. These regulations prohibit the removal of most, or parts of, countryside hedgerows without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. We also currently have regulations which protect water courses under the Farming Rules for Water.Regarding funding, the Countryside Stewardship scheme offers farmers funding for creating buffer strips on cultivated land. These grassy buffer strips not only create new habitat and prevent pollutants (such as pesticides and sediment) from entering aquatic systems, they also provide wildlife with much needed corridors to link existing habitat areas and aid dispersal.Signing a Countryside Stewardship agreement over the next 2-3 years gives farmers and land managers a viable, long-term source of income for providing environmental benefits. Those who sign up to new Countryside Stewardship agreements will also be well-placed in the future to participate in our new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, subject to successfully applying.Additionally, under the ELM scheme, due to launch in 2024 as the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy, farmers and other land managers may enter into agreements to be paid for delivering public goods, including thriving plants and wildlife.

Chemicals: EU Law

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ensure that British firms do not have to repeat animal tests on products already in use in the UK following the end of the transition period pursuant to EU directive Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.

Rebecca Pow: We will recognise the validity of any animal tests on products that have already been undertaken and so avoid the need for further testing.The grandfathering of all existing UK-held REACH registrations into the UK system will further avoid the need to duplicate animal testing associated with re-registration.The UK has been at the forefront of opposing animal tests where alternative approaches could be used. This is known as the "last-resort principle", which we will retain and enshrine in legislation through our landmark Environment Bill.

Water Industry National Environment Programme

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timescale is for approving projects classed as amber within the Water Industry National Environment Programme.

Rebecca Pow: The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) sets out the environmental asset improvement schemes, investigations, monitoring and catchment interventions that water companies must incorporate into their five-year business plans.   Work on the current WINEP should be complete between 2020-2025 and water companies have been allowed funding for this work as part of Ofwat’s 2019 final determination of prices. Amber schemes require final approval by the Secretary of State. This is due to happen as part of the update to the current river basin management plans in December 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to some delays in the process, but the Environment Agency is striving to meet the existing deadline.

Hen Harriers: Conservation

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made with its hen harrier recovery programme.

Rebecca Pow: Significant progress continues to be made on the actions set out in the hen harrier action plan. This includes Natural England carrying out an extensive nest and winter roost monitoring programme using a mix of staff and volunteers. Natural England and Forest Enterprise monitored 14 nests in 2020, all of which were successful. Another ten nests were monitored by the RSPB. In 2019 under the brood management trial one nest was brood managed and in 2020 two nests. To date, 13 birds have been reared in captivity and re-released back into the wild. Natural England has also fitted tags to 23 hen harrier chicks this year. This year Natural England has recorded the best year for hen harrier breeding in England since Natural England’s hen harrier action plan was launched in 2016 with 19 successful nests and 60 chicks fledged.

Plastics: Waste

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to end the export of plastic waste.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is deeply concerned about the illegal trade in waste, including reports of illegal plastic waste exported from the UK. Recognising the difficulties experienced by some countries in managing imports of plastic waste the Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Environment Bill includes a power which will enable us to deliver on this commitment and we will consult on the date by which this should be achieved.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change on the UK’s planned Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Rebecca Pow: The UK has committed to coming forward with an increased Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) well ahead of COP26. In setting the NDC the Government will take into account a range of factors and be informed by advice from the UK’s independent Committee on Climate Change.

Hen Harriers

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hen harriers there have been in England in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many breeding pairs of hen harriers there have been in England in each of the last 10 years.

Rebecca Pow: The results from the most recent UK national survey in 2016 (Wotton, S. et al 2018) showed that in England, the hen harrier population was at least four recorded pairs. However, data on nesting attempts from recent years suggests a higher breeding population. The table below shows data on hen harrier breeding success in England from 2011 to 2020.  Nesting AttemptsSuccessful NestsChicks Fledged20119412201211420132002014441520151261820163382017731020181493420191512462020241960  Hen harrier numbers are normally monitored through breeding data. Obtaining a figure for non-breeding and over winter numbers would be very difficult and there is no centrally coordinated monitoring of non-breeding numbers.

Home Office

Immigration Controls: Migrant Workers

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph A3 of the Tier 2 of the Points Based System – Policy Guidance, for what reasons care workers have not been included in that paragraph.

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph A3, Tier 2 of the Points Based System – Policy Guidance, whether she plans to add care workers to the list of eligible occupations for the Health and Social Care Visa.

Kevin Foster: Those currently applying for the Health and Care Visa must meet the Tier 2 (General) immigration route requirements. Under the requirements of the current Tier 2 (General), a migrant worker must be filling a degree level job and meet the relevant salary threshold.The UK’s new Points-Based Immigration System, which will come into effect from January 2021, will include changing the qualifying skill level – to A level and equivalent and above - and salary requirements.Senior care workers will qualify under the UK’s Points-Based Immigration System and guidance on occupations eligible for the Health and Care Visa will be updated in line with the launch of the new Skilled Workers route and the expanded skills threshold.As we implement our new global points-based immigration system we want employers in the care sector to focus on ensuring care workers are offered rewarding packages and career development opportunities which value the vital work they do, rather than the UK’s migration system providing them with an alternative to doing this.

Unexplained Wealth Orders

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unexplained wealth orders have been sought in each financial year since 2014.

James Brokenshire: Since implementation in the Criminal Finances Act 2017, unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) were sought in relation to four cases:Three UWOs were obtained in relation to one case 2017/18Five UWOs were obtained in relation to three cases in 2019/20 (three UWOs in relation to one case were discharged on appeal)The annual asset recovery statistical bulletin contains UWO statistics. The next statistical bulletin will be published this month (September 2020).

Barbecues: Moorland

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of moorland fires caused by BBQs from May to August 2020.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publishes figures on accidental primary fires started by barbecues in table FIRE0605, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables#cause-of-fire. The data is available from 2010/11 to 2018/19. 2019/20 data will be published on 2 October 2020. Data for May to August 2020 will be published in Autumn 2021.In 2018/19, there were 90 accidental outdoor primary fires started by barbecues in England.

Home Office: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in her Department's human resources section in April 2020.

James Brokenshire: The number of full-time equivalent staff for the Home Office as of 30 April 2020 was 34,397, and those within HR was 501.

Knives

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) make an assessment of the validity of September 2020 research on knives from De Montfort University and (b) bring forward legislative proposals on replacing pointed knives with rounded knives for domestic use.

Kit Malthouse: We continue to work with retailers to promote the responsible sales of knives. It is important to strike the right balance between allowing access to knives, for instance as tools, with the need to protect the public from dangerous weapons.We are doing everything in our power to make our streets safer, including recruiting 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years and providing the most substantial increase in police funding in a decade. Additionally, the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 introduced new knife crime prevention orders which were requested by the police and will provide them with a vital means to steer those most at risk away from serious violence.£70 million of the Serious Violence Fund was invested in 18 areas to develop multi-agency Violence Reduction Units which bring together police, local government, health and education professionals, community leaders and other key partners to identify the drivers of serious violence and agree a multi-agency response to them. In addition to the Serious Violence Fund, we have invested £200 million in early intervention and prevention support initiatives to support young people at risk of exploitation and involvement in serious violence, through the Youth Endowment Fund.

Crimes of Violence: Greater London

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of violent crime have been recorded in (a) London, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since 2015.

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many burglaries have been recorded in (a) London, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since 2015.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects data from police forces on police recorded crime, broken down by Police Force Area and Community Safety Partnership Area, including the London borough of Bexley. Data is not collected at parliamentary constituency level.The latest data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThis includes the number of recorded offences of violence against the person and burglary in each of the last 5 years.

Police: Safety

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to improve levels of confidence in safety among police officers.

Kit Malthouse: Our police do one of the most difficult jobs out there, putting their lives on the line and confronting violent situations every day to keep the public safe. This Government remains committed to supporting them.We welcome the publication of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing Officer and Staff Safety Review, which has highlighted a number of areas where improvements can be made, and where partners can work together to improve the protection for our police. To carry out their vital roles and stay safe, it is essential that police are equipped with the right protection, training and tools, which this Review has quite rightly highlighted. We will continue to work closely with policing partners to consider the recommendations in the report.This Government has also accelerated work to introduce a Police Covenant, recognising the service and sacrifice of those who work, or have worked, in policing and to deliver the practical support they need. The key areas of focus will be physical protection, health and wellbeing and support for families. Our response to the public consultation was published on 8 September.

UK Border Force

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department made in 2016 of the procurement of light surveillance aircraft for the UK border force; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list all contracts for the procurement of aircraft that were cancelled by her Department from 2010 to 2018.

Kit Malthouse: Border Force have never owned a plane for Aerial Surveillance purposes. There was a Contract with FR Aviation for the Provision of a Managed Aerial Surveillance Service which expired at the end of its Contract period on 5th January 2016. Post January 2016 Border Force have used a cross government MMO Framework for their Aerial Surveillance needs.Home Office Commercial are not aware of any assessment made regarding the procurement of a light aerial surveillance aircraft in 2016.

Domestic Abuse: Victims

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2020 to Question 55645 on Domestic Abuse: Victims, when the Government plan to their findings into changes in the Policing and Crime Act 2017 relating to pre-charge bail conditions.

Kit Malthouse: The Government consultation on the pre charge bail system closed on 29 May. It received over 1,000 responses from a cross section of the criminal justice sector. Our response will be published later this year. Officials will continue to engage with key stakeholders from across the criminal justice sector, analysing responses before deciding next steps.Pre-charge bail, including the use of conditions to protect domestic abuse and other victims, continues to be available where it is necessary and proportionate. Decisions on pre-charge bail conditions are operational matters for individual police forces and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Wildlife: Seized Articles

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) units and (b) kilograms of live animals and birds were seized in the UK in the first two quarters of 2020.

Kit Malthouse: Seizures relating to products related to the Convention of international trade of endangered species (CITES), including information relating to live animals and birds are published quarterly on the.gov.uk website. The latest information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-august-2020

Ivory: Seized Articles

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) units and (b) kilograms of ivory and items containing ivory were seized in the UK in the first two quarters of 2020.

Kit Malthouse: Seizures relating to products related to the Convention of international trade of endangered species (CITES), including information relating to Ivory are published quarterly on the.gov.uk website. The latest information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-august-2020

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether immigrants entering the UK via crossing the English Channel illegally are being tested for covid-19 upon arrival.

Chris Philp: We continue to work in line with Public Health England guidance; people arriving by small boats are not specifically tested for coronavirus but are assessed upon arrival for any medical needs and are monitored for symptoms. If symptomatic, individuals will be referred for testing and treatment if appropriate.All people arriving by small boat are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days.

Refugees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2020 to Question 64881 on Refugees, what progress she has made on recommencing (a) refugee resettlement programmes and (b) the community sponsorship scheme.

Chris Philp: We are working on detailed plans to recommence resettlement arrivals as soon as it is safe and operationally viable to do so.The resumption of refugee resettlement arrivals, including community sponsorship, remains dependent on a number of factors including: restarting flights from refugee host countries; the lifting of restrictions imposed by the governments of those countries and in the UK; the ability of our international partners to operate; the reopening of the UK’s visa application centres; local authority and central government capacity in light of COVID-19; and recovery of the asylum system from the impact of COVID-19.We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain in regular dialogue with our international and domestic stakeholders.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that immigrants who cross the English Channel illegally return safely to their home countries.

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigrants who crossed the English Channel illegally have been returned to their home countries since 1 January 2018.

Chris Philp: We remain committed to removing those with no right to be in the UK, and who do not comply with our immigration laws.The Home Office continues to work closely with EU Member State partners to enact transfers as soon as possible and ahead of the six-month timeframe for a return.There are a number of factors that have affected returns, including the inflexibility of Dublin Regulations and last-minute legal challenges from activist lawyers, alongside practical and logistical difficulties as a result of the pandemic. We are working at pace to reduce the number of older cases in the system and increase the number of removals - and we are in active discussions with countries to make that happen.The Home Office publishes data on the number of asylum seekers transferred under the Dublin regulation in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum seekers transferred out of the UK under the Dublin Regulation, broken down by the EU member state they have been transferred to are published in tables Dub_D01 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2019.Please note, that we do not publish the breakdowns of the nationality of those being transferred under the Dublin RegulationAdditionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releasehttps://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F885622%2Fdublin-regulation-datasets-mar-2020.xlsx&data=02%7C01%7C%7C45a74cb48ae24878e4a308d806ee2df2%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637266967355702880&sdata=vaSspWJbkCtn8xcTawc2wFnj9D1kOXdQfFYbX8AD1F0%3D&reserved=0https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistical-data-sets%2Fasylum-and-resettlement-datasets&data=02%7C01%7C%7C45a74cb48ae24878e4a308d806ee2df2%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637266967355702880&sdata=lQm%2B%2Faz5MK1EfybmyRPb8JjSvt5VbRTt2bXNvIj3oD8%3D&reserved=0https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F849497%2Fasylum-summary-sep-2019-tables.xlsx&data=02%7C01%7C%7C45a74cb48ae24878e4a308d806ee2df2%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637266967355712874&sdata=6AWUyArHORIe%2Ftd4Hz5zEMMZlR2ne5Dlfm8ww4EFar0%3D&reserved=0

Passports: Courier Services

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports issued by HM Passport Office have failed to be successfully delivered by courier since the 23 March 2020.

Chris Philp: Her Majesty’s Passport Office can confirm that no passports have failed to be successfully delivered by a UK courier since 23 March 2020. For international deliveries by courier there are nine confirmed losses, which resulted in these passports being cancelled on the system and reissued and successfully delivered.

Asylum: Finance

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the repeal of section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, as provided for by the Immigration Act 2016, has not yet taken effect.

Chris Philp: Implementation of the changes made by the Immigration Act 2016 to asylum support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and to local authority support for migrants without immigration status requires engagement with local authorities, the devolved administrations and other partners on the preparation of the required regulations. The timing of this work is currently under review.

Asylum: Housing

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities were contacted in advance of the latest allocation of asylum seekers to initial accommodation.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities agreed to accommodate asylum seekers in the latest allocation of asylum seekers to initial accommodation.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure an equitable distribution of asylum seekers to local authorities for initial accommodation.

Chris Philp: I wrote to all Local Authorities on 27 March 2020 to inform them that, due to the pause on cessations because of the Covid 19 pandemic, we would be required to procure hotel accommodation, often at short notice in order to meet our statutory duty to accommodate a growing supported population. In addition to this we, and our accommodation providers, engaged with each local authority in which hotels we used.There are currently 141 Local Authorities participating in the dispersal scheme.The Home Office has established the Home Office/Local Government Chief Executive group (HOLGCEX) in order to take forward a review of the costs, pressures and social impact of asylum dispersal in the UK, as well as a number of other key priorities relating to how central and local government work together.

Asylum

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to provide safe and legal routes of entry to the UK for asylum seekers in order to prevent the risk of exploitation and the dangers of crossing the Channel by boat.

Chris Philp: The UK is one of the world’s leading refugee resettlement states. We resettle more refugees than any other country in Europe and are in the top five countries worldwide. Since 2015, we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees. We can be proud as a country of our ambitious commitments and achievements.The UK has a long and proud tradition of providing safe haven to those who genuinely need our protection, and we remain committed to providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations.Those who fear persecution should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not put their lives at risk by making unnecessary and dangerous journeys to the UK. Illegal migration from safe countries undermines our efforts to help those most in need - controlled resettlement via safe and legal routes is the best way to protect such people and disrupt the organised crime groups that exploit migrants and refugees.While resettlement arrivals are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will resume them as soon as conditions allow, and intend to meet our full commitment to those fleeing the Syrian conflict.

Asylum

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have claimed asylum in each of the last six months.

Chris Philp: There were 32,423 asylum claims in the UK (main claimants only) in the year ending June 2020.This information can be found in the published immigration statistics, updated, 27th August 2020 at Asy_01a and Asy_02b:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2020/list-of-tables#asylum-and-resettlement

Asylum: Undocumented Migrants

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to make it harder for migrants who are in the UK illegally to make an asylum claim.

Chris Philp: The UK has a long and proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations. The Prime Minister has been clear that we will address the rigidities in our laws that make this country a target for those who would exploit vulnerable people in this way. We will also take advantage of leaving the EU by changing the Dublin regulation on returns.

Passengers: Coronavirus

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have arrived in the UK by sea from countries not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have arrived in the UK by rail from each country not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have arrived in the UK by rail from countries not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers in total have arrived in the UK by air from each country not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020.

Chris Philp: 84307 - To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have arrived in the UK by sea from countries not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020 84308 - To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have arrived in the UK by rail from each country not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020. 84309 - To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have arrived in the UK by rail from countries not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020. 84310 - To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers in total have arrived in the UK by air from each country not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020. 84311 - To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers in total have arrived in the UK by air from countries not included on the list of covid-19 travel corridors since 3 July 2020.

Asylum: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has published for companies contracted by her Department to provide housing for asylum seekers on the (a) policy and (b) safety of housing asylum seekers in hotels; and how many asylum seekers are housed in hotels in Newcastle upon Tyne as at 2 September 2020.

Chris Philp: Hotel use as contingency accommodation is permitted as part of the accommodation contract, the contract for the North East of England can be found at https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/24c6a868-8e1a-4775-8d4f-ab750854d367. We are working closely with our providers to review security arrangements within all of the hotels currently being used to accommodate asylum seekers, including liaising closely with local Police colleagues. We are also working with Home Office and local authority colleagues to develop strategic responses to any further harassment of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels nationally. The number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support

Scotland Office

Hydrogen: Scotland

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the role that Scotland can play in the UK's hydrogen strategy; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK's hydrogen strategy.

Mr Alister Jack: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on a range of policy issues of importance to the UK and to Scotland.The Government is committed to the development of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier for the UK. We are currently developing our strategic approach to hydrogen and its potential to deliver against our net zero goals and we will set out our plans in due course.Scotland is well placed to play a significant role in the development of the hydrogen strategy and to grow the hydrogen economy. Indeed, two projects based in the north-east of Scotland have already benefitted from the award of contracts worth a total of £5.8m through the £33m Hydrogen Supply competition.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in his Department's human resources section in April 2020.

Julia Lopez: As at 30 April 2020, 76 full-time equivalent staff were employed in the Cabinet Office Human Resources team, serving a department of 8,187 full-time equivalent staff.

Civil Service: Modernisation and Reform

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the McKinsey consultancy report on Civil Service Modernisation and Reform will be completed.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to publish the results of the McKinsey consultancy report on Civil Service Modernisation and Reform.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information was assessed as part of the McKinsey consultancy report on Civil Service Modernisation and Reform.

Julia Lopez: Mckinsey were contracted by the Cabinet Office to support the development of a programme of government reform, considering a range of evidence on past reforms in the UK, private sector and international comparators, and input from across government. This work, which runs until the end of September 2020, contributes to development of wider plans for Civil Service reform, further details of which we will set out in due course.

Ethnic Groups: Equality

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) full time equivalent posts there were and (b) part-time staff were employed in the Racial Disparity Unit in each year since it was established; and how many (i) full time equivalent posts and (ii) part time staff his Department has planned for in the 2021-22 financial year.

Julia Lopez: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ57945 by my friend Chloe Smith on 19 June 2020.Figures for 2021/22 will be confirmed after the Spending Review.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office: Staff

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of staff in his Department have equality, diversity or inclusion in their job title.

Julia Lopez: As at 31 August 2020, at least 66 staff in the Cabinet Office have roles with equality, diversity, inclusion or disability, gender, LGBT and race in their job title. Further staff within the Department may have roles which contribute to aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion. This answer includes data for the Government Equalities Office, which for HR purposes falls under the Cabinet Office and which accounts for 41 of the 66 roles.

Public Sector: Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will publish a full register of the algorithms currently being used in the provision of public services throughout Government by each Government department.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for monitoring or overseeing the use of algorithms used in the provision of public services by the Government.

Julia Lopez: The Government’s Data Ethics Framework and ‘Guide to Using AI in the Public Sector’, alongside other guidance are available on GOV.UK, to support ethical and safe use of algorithms in the public sector. Building on existing work on algorithmic and data ethics, the Government is now seeking to deliver more transparency on the use of algorithmic-assisted decision making within the public sector; and is working with leading organisations in the field of data and AI ethics on a proposed approach to algorithmic transparency.

Government Departments: Access

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an automated traffic light system to control the number of people entering and leaving government buildings.

Julia Lopez: The guidance designed for Government workplaces does not currently consider the use of such traffic light systems. Current advice includes consideration of staggered arrival and departure times to reduce crowding.Additional measures will be considered as necessary.

Committee On the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when did the Advisory Military Sub Committee last meet.

Chloe Smith: The Advisory Military Sub Committee last met on the 4th February 2020.

Delivery Services: Coronavirus

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to (a) recognise and (b) reward delivery drivers who transported essential items across the UK during the covid-19 lockdown.

Chloe Smith: Further to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during his oral statement on 28 April 2020, the Government will ensure recognition is both timely and appropriate and is reflective of the profound gratitude the nation feels.

Death

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from (a) coronary heart disease, (b) stroke, (c) prostate cancer, (d) breast cancer and (e) bowel cancer from 1 April to 1 August in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018, (iv) 2019 and (v) 2020.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.Letter from the UKSA (pdf, 121.8KB)

Northern Ireland Office

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what meetings he has held with human rights organisations based in Northern Ireland to discuss the UK's exit from the EU and the Northern Ireland protocol.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I, along with departmental officials continue to engage on the Protocol with stakeholders across Northern Ireland to ensure that it is implemented effectively. This includes engaging with human rights organisations on issues such as our commitment to ensure that no diminution of certain rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity protections results from the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Northern Ireland Office officials are in frequent contact with relevant organisations, the Secretary of State spoke with the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 3 March 2020, and a number of further engagements are planned in the coming weeks and months.

Northern Ireland Office: Training

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much the Department spent on unconscious bias training in each of the last five years.

Mr Robin Walker: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment for all and Unconscious Bias training is mandatory for all staff. It is a requirement for all staff when they join the NIO and to complete refresher training every two years.The NIO pays an annual fee, like all other departments, for access to a range of Civil Service Learning, including Unconscious Bias. The exact cost spent specifically on Unconscious Bias training in the last five years cannot therefore be quantified.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many members of staff in his Department have equality, diversity or inclusion in their job title.

Mr Robin Walker: There are no staff members in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) who have equality, diversity or inclusion specifically in their job title, however the NIO understands the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, placing an emphasis on being an organisation that is equal, diverse and inclusive.There is a requirement for every staff member to have a diversity objective as part of their performance agreement. The department has an active Diversity & Inclusion network and is wholly committed to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion for all.In 2018, the NIO won the award for Best (Small) Employer for Equality & Diversity in Northern Ireland at the Legal-Island Gala Awards and in 2019 we were Highly Commended at the same awards for our gender initiative. The department obtained a Diversity Charter Mark from Legal-Island in 2019 and are a Disability Confident Leader organisation, and members of Employers for Disability Northern Ireland.

Treasury

Fuel Oil: Excise Duties

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what quantity of diesel has been subsidised through his heavy mineral oil excise duty reclamation scheme H049.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the heavy mineral oil excise duty reclamation scheme H049 with the Government's climate change policies.

Kemi Badenoch: HMRC estimates that around 13 million litres of diesel is sold under the horticultural producers’ relief per year. The relief exists because of the particular climatic conditions within the UK, allowing UK producers to compete with producers from more temperate climates. In allowing them to compete on this basis, the UK is less reliant on food imports, with transportation having its own environmental costs. The horticultural producers’ relief scheme has carried a negligible cost to the Exchequer for the last six years, reflecting the very small amount of diesel used under this relief. HMRC publishes estimated costs of non-structural reliefs here: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

Members: Correspondence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 26 June 2020 from the hon. Member for North Durham on his constituent.

Kemi Badenoch: Unfortunately the Treasury is not able to locate the letter of 26 June 2020 from the Honourable Member for North Durham regarding his constituent. Treasury officials have contacted the Honourable Member’s constituency office requesting a copy is sent by email.

Climate Change Convention

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to support the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change on the UK’s intended Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Kemi Badenoch: The UK has committed to coming forward with an increased Nationally Determined Contribution well ahead of COP26. In setting the Nationally Determined Contribution the government will take into account a range of factors and be informed by advice from the UK’s independent Committee on Climate Change.

Fiscal Policy: Coronavirus

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his fiscal policy of the May 2020 OECD report entitled Tax and Fiscal Policy in response to the Coronavirus crisis: Strengthening confidence and resilience.

Jesse Norman: The UK’s fiscal response to COVID-19 has been one of the most generous and comprehensive around the world. It has been the right thing to do to support jobs, livelihoods and the economy, and will ensure stronger public finances over the longer term. The immediate focus for the Government’s economic and fiscal strategy is now on ensuring that it continues to support workers and businesses as the UK recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Treasury reviews a range of reports from institutions including the OECD in the course of advising ministers. The Government will set out further details on its plans for fiscal policy at the next Budget, as the economic and fiscal outlook becomes clearer.

Job Retention Bonus

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether companies that have (a) made compulsory redundancies and (b)re-hired workers on new terms and conditions will be eligible to receive payments under the job retention bonus.

Jesse Norman: To ensure that firms are encouraged to keep employees as demand returns, the Chancellor announced the Job Retention Bonus in the Plan for Jobs on 8 July.Alongside other conditions, to be eligible, the employees for which the employer will receive the grant will need to have been continuously employed until 31 January 2021 and still be employed by the same employer as of 31 January 2021. Employees cannot be serving a contractual or statutory notice period, that started before 1 February 2021, for the employer making a claim.Full guidance about the Job Retention Bonus will be published at the end of September.

UK Trade with EU

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individuals were qualified as customs intermediaries in the UK in (a) July and (b) August 2020.

Jesse Norman: HMRC do not employ customs intermediaries directly and there are no set qualifications. The UK has a well-established industry of customs intermediaries that serve British businesses trading outside the EU. The sector is varied and made up of a number of different business models including specific customs brokers, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which require differing numbers of staff. The Government has now made available a total of £84 million to grow the sector to encompass EU trade after 2020. This is one part of the measures to support the customs intermediary sector to meet the increased demand it will see from traders at the end of the transition period. The Government continues to monitor progress carefully and keeps support under review.

Money

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that cash is always an accepted as a means of payment.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to (a) protect and (b) increase access to free-to-use cash machines.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread access to cash remains extremely important to millions of people across the UK. That is why, at the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash, which builds on industry initiatives. LINK, the scheme that runs the UK’s largest ATM network, has existing arrangements in place to protect free-to-use ATMs that do not have another free-to-use ATM or Post Office within 1 kilometre. LINK’s members have also made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash. The Government is also closely engaging with the financial regulators to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19. In order to work safely, retailers have been recommended to minimise contacts around transactions. However, it remains the individual retailer’s choice as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card.

Digital Technology: Taxation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2020 to Question 76028, what the evidential basis was for the estimated increase in revenue from the Digital Services Tax from £390 million in 2020-2021 to £510 million in 2024-2025.

Jesse Norman: The revenue is estimated to increase from +£280 million in 2020-2021 to +£510 million in 2024-2025. The tax base used to make this estimate consisted of all revenues attributable to specific digital business activities, where those revenues were linked to the participation of UK users. The tax base was established by collecting data on the revenues generated by the specific digital business activities in scope of the measure. The tax base was then projected over the scorecard period using a combination of the historical UK revenue growth of groups in scope and the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) non-North Sea gross trading profits determinant. The costing was estimated by applying the policy regime to the tax base described, taking into account the potential behavioural responses of groups to this measure.

Pensions

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September to Question 81494 on Pensions, on what date he is planning for that change to take effect.

John Glen: In 2014 the government announced it would increase the minimum pension age to 57 from 2028, reflecting trends in longevity and encouraging individuals to remain in work, while also helping to ensure pension savings provide for later life. Further details, and plans for legislation, will be published in due course.

Digital Technology: Taxation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with international counterparts to develop a global digital taxation solution through the OECD.

Jesse Norman: The Government is fully engaged in OECD discussions on reform to international corporate tax rules. The Government’s priority is to secure changes that will address the challenges posed by digitisation.

Off-payroll Working

Neil Coyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reforms to off-payroll working rules do not result in contractors being subject to role-based blanket IR35 assessments that incorrectly classify them as operating inside IR35.

Jesse Norman: Organisations must take reasonable care when making status determinations for the off-payroll working rules. The Government is clear that determinations must be made on a case-by-case basis, although it is acceptable to make a determination for a group of workers where the terms and conditions of contracts and working practices are the same. HMRC’s dedicated education and support team will be delivering an enhanced programme of targeted support ahead of April 2021. This will include working with client organisations to make sure they are able to correctly determine their contractors’ status for tax. The Government has also already ensured that from April 2021 client organisations are required to introduce a client-led status disagreement process where contractors can raise their concerns with their client organisation if they disagree on how they have been categorised. HMRC will also commission independent research into the impacts of the reform six months after it has taken effect, which will look at how status decisions are being made. This research will be presented to Parliament.

Eat Out to Help Out Scheme: Expenditure

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the Exchequer was of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August 2020.

Jesse Norman: By midnight on 31 August, £522 million had been claimed through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. Businesses can make claims until 30 September and HMRC will publish a final costing in October.

Digital Technology: Taxation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons two per cent was considered the appropriate level of taxation for the Digital Services Tax.

Jesse Norman: The Digital Services Tax (DST) is a temporary response to concerns with international corporate tax rules. A 2% DST is considered a proportionate measure for ensuring that digital businesses pay an appropriate level of tax in the UK pending reform of these rules.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will amend the new zero VAT rate for female hygiene products to ensure reusable sanitary underwear is brought within the scope when it comes into effect in January 2021.

Jesse Norman: At Spring Budget on 11 March 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that a zero rate of VAT will apply to women’s sanitary products from 1 January 2021, at the end of the transition period. This will apply to those products which are currently subject to the reduced rate of 5%, for example, tampons and pads, and to reusable menstrual products, such as keepers.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Fraud

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies have been investigated for (a) employees continuing to work while placed on furlough and (b) other instances of misuse of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Jesse Norman: HMRC were not legally allowed to carry out investigations into suspected CJRS fraud until the Finance Bill was granted Royal Assent. Before then, HMRC carried out more than 5,000 targeted calls to high-risk cases, in order to reduce the chance of further error and make clear that HMRC would be investigating excessive claims.The Finance Act was granted Royal Assent on 22 July. The Finance Act gives employers a 90-day window to correct claims. HMRC are writing to every employer where HMRC have clear evidence that they may have overclaimed from the data HMRC hold. By the end of November, HMRC will have written to about 27,000 people prompting them to use the opportunity to self-correct. Starting this month, HMRC will also conduct up to 10,000 one-to-one interventions. This will include cases where HMRC have received information through their fraud hotlines. HMRC’s priorities are to support those correcting a genuine error, while taking action against those who have deliberately sought to abuse the scheme

Roads: Freight

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any trials have taken place of the proposed Goods Vehicle Movement Service IT system.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the timescale is for testing the Goods Vehicle Movement Service before its introduction in January 2021.

Jesse Norman: HMRC are co-developing delivery plans with carriers and operators. A virtualised test service has been in place since 31 August allowing carriers and operators to test their software against the HMRC specification. Service guides are available on the Developer Hub on GOV.UK, allowing hauliers, carriers and operators to access the specifications and understand the technical requirement ahead of physical testing. Technical discussions with carriers and operators to supplement this testing have started and will continue to 31 December.

Remote Education: ICT

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing the level of VAT payable on laptops, tablets, routers and other items important to the delivery of distance learning for school children; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: VAT has always been designed to be a broad-based tax on consumption. Introducing a reduced rate of VAT on laptops, tablets, routers and other items for the delivery of distance learning would come at a considerable cost to the Exchequer, and the Government has no current plans to change the VAT treatment of such goods.

Tax Avoidance

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the Loan Charge declaration deadline from the end of September 2020 to the end of January 2021 to provide time for delays due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced in December 2019 that they would extend the deadline from 31 January 2020 to 30 September 2020, for individuals due to pay the Loan Charge to submit their 2018/19 Self Assessment returns and pay the tax due or agree a time to pay arrangement. This deadline has long been established and the extension has given taxpayers an additional eight months to file their returns and decide whether to make an election to spread their Loan Charge liability over three years. Loan Charge taxpayers are able to file a full and accurate 2018/19 Self Assessment return by the 30 September 2020 deadline. The Government has no plans to extend the deadline beyond 30 September 2020. HMRC will keep the situation under review and will take a proportionate and reasonable approach to anyone who is unable to file their tax return and pay the tax due or agree a time to pay arrangement by the 30 September 2020 deadline as a direct result of COVID-19.

Eat Out to Help Out Scheme: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many eating establishments registered for the Eat out to Help out Scheme in Northern Ireland, by constituency.

Jesse Norman: Excluding businesses with more than 25 outlets, there were 2,207 restaurants registered for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme in Northern Ireland on 27 August. HMRC published a parliamentary constituency breakdown for the Eat Out to Help Out scheme on 4 September: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eat-out-to-help-out-scheme-claims-by-parliamentary-constituency.

Eat Out to Help Out Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the five largest recipients from the Eat Out to Help Out scheme are.

Jesse Norman: In registering for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, businesses agreed to publication of the names and addresses of their restaurants or other outlets. HMRC do not have permission to publish other details about the businesses or their claims, and they are bound by a duty of confidentiality. HMRC have published data about the number of registered establishments and claims totals and will publish a detailed analysis of the scheme in the near future. This will include breakdowns of claims values between small and larger businesses (those with more than 25 establishments).

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Christine Jardine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date HMRC plans to reinstate its fraud hotline.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reopened the hotline telephony service on Monday 3 August. It operates 09:00-17:00, Monday-Friday. It is also worth noting that the online reporting function has been available 24/7 throughout the pandemic.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Coronavirus

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate the Government has made of the number of spectators that will return to sporting events as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased as part of planning to enable the safe resumption of spectator sports.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government continues to liaise closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) and sporting bodies whilst developing its guidance to support the safe return of spectators to stadia more widely from October 1st. As announced by the Prime Minister, this remains subject to successful pilots events, which will now be capped at 1,000 people, and wider prevailing public health factors.Capacity limits and ticketing processes will vary based on individual venues and events. Pilots will still be required to receive all relevant local authorisations including their local Safety Advisory Group. Locations and attendance levels may change depending on the local Covid situation. Maximum safe capacity, as a consequence of social distancing guidance, can be calculated through the SGSA’s supplementary guidance to their Green Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds.

Football: Coronavirus

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to issue guidance for non-league football clubs in the National League and National Leagues North and South on allowing supporters into grounds to watch matches.

Nigel Huddleston: On 18th August, the Government amended its guidance to provide extra clarification for organisers of sports events to help them manage and admit spectators safely, adhering to social distancing.Non-league football clubs from level seven of the pyramid, below the National League North / South, can admit spectators in line with the FA’s definition of non-elite football.We continue to work closely with all sports, including the interests of football from National League and above, to support the safe return of spectators to stadia more widely from October 1st. As announced by the Prime Minister, this remains subject to successful pilot events, which will now be capped at 1,000 people, and wider prevailing public health factors, both of which remain under active consideration.

Football: Coronavirus

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on safety of allowing fans to return to watch non-league football clubs since the Football Association published guidance on the safe return of grassroots football on 18 July 2020.

Nigel Huddleston: On 18th August, the Government amended its guidance to provide extra clarification for organisers of non-elite sports events to help them manage and admit spectators safely, adhering to social distancing.This includes having a named person with responsibility for ensuring adherence with government guidelines and ensuring the facility is COVID-19 secure. This person should carry out and publish a risk assessment for the activity which limits the number of spectators and focuses on the need to maintain social distancing on arrival, for the duration of the activity, and on departure.The Government will continue to monitor the admittance of spectators and the wider prevailing public health factors closely.

Football: Coronavirus

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak on non-league football clubs.

Nigel Huddleston: Football clubs form a vital part of our local communities and many have a great history. It is vital that they are protected during these difficult times.The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses throughout this period, including a comprehensive and sizable package of direct fiscal support for business through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support. Many football clubs have benefited from these measures.The Government is in regular dialogue with the football authorities to understand their financial position - but has been absolutely clear that it expects football to look first at how it can support itself through these difficult times.

British Telecom

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what communications his Department has had with BT on potential takeover bids; and what assessment has been made of the potential effect of such a takeover on the UK's high-fibre broadband infrastructure and 5G network.

Matt Warman: The department regularly engages with BT and others across the telecoms industry on a variety of issues, including the government’s ambitions for nationwide gigabit capable broadband and 5G mobile coverage. Despite recent speculation in the media, BT is not subject to a takeover bid at the current time.

Exhibitions: North of England

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the ongoing legacy of the Great Exhibition of the North.

Nigel Huddleston: In February 2019, the evaluation of the Great Exhibition of the North was completed and a detailed final report was published by Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, the lead delivery partner, following sign off from local partners and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The final report identified that the exhibition received 3.8 million visits across 80 days of events, installations and activities, and that 90% of visitors felt that the exhibition had changed their perceptions of Newcastle Gateshead, 84% saying that they would recommend Newcastle Gateshead to friends and relatives.

Arts: Self-employed

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support will be offered to self-employed people in the arts after the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme closes.

Caroline Dinenage: We recognise the crucial role that self-employed individuals play in making our arts and creative industries world-leading. The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme has helped millions of people across the UK, with those eligible receiving a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profit over the last three years. This has covered 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment.In addition to this scheme designed to support the self-employed, the Government announced an unprecedented £1.57bn support package for organisations in the Arts and Culture sectors. This funding will help preserve and resume cultural activity, initially with socially distanced audiences and subsequently kick start employment opportunities for freelancers.To complement the funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England have announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This involves:An additional £75m in project grants. These will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities and those from under-represented groups. Freelancers are eligible to apply directly. National Portfolio Organisations can also apply to create new work with bids that create employment opportunities prioritised.A further round of the ACE programme ‘Discover Your Creative Practice’ will open in the autumn. This will make approximately £18m available for individuals looking to develop new creative skills that will help them to further develop their career.ACE will also be adding £2m into relevant benevolent funds to support those less well supported by the programmes outlined above, including stage managers and technicians.The government remains committed to supporting our prestigious and internationally renowned arts and cultural sector and is clear on the vital importance the Arts contribute to the well being of the nation at this time. We are committed to continuing to work with these sectors to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.

Culture Recovery Fund

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to ensure that funding from the Culture Recovery Fund reaches self-employed workers in the arts sector.

Caroline Dinenage: We recognise the crucial role that self-employed individuals play in making our arts and creative industries world-leading. The Secretary of State has announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors. By preserving many arts and cultural institutions, the self-employed and freelance workers will benefit with increased employment opportunities as these organisations resume cultural activities.To complement the funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England have also announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This involves:An additional £75m in project grants. These will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities and those from under-represented groups. Freelancers are eligible to apply directly. National Portfolio Organisations can also apply to create new work with bids that create employment opportunities prioritised.A further round of the ACE programme ‘Discover Your Creative Practice’ will open in the autumn. This will make approximately £18m available for individuals looking to develop new creative skills that will help them to further develop their career.ACE will also be adding £2m into relevant benevolent funds to support those less well supported by the programmes outlined above, including stage managers and technicians.The government remains committed to supporting our prestigious and internationally renowned arts and cultural sector and is clear on the vital importance the Arts contribute to the well being of the nation at this time. We are committed to continuing to work with these sectors to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.

Performing Arts: Government Assistance

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to allocate a proportion of the £1.57 billion funding for cultural, arts and heritage institutions to direct support for (a) performers and (b) technicians and craftspeople who work on performances.

Caroline Dinenage: DCMS recognises the crucial role that individuals play in the UK’s events industry, and that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many individuals operating in this sector.The Secretary of State announced an unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors. This package will benefit craftspeople by providing support to Arts, Cultural, and Heritage organisations to stay open and continue operating.To complement the funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England (ACE) have announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This involves:an additional £75m in project grants. These will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities and those from under-represented groups. Freelancers and National Portfolio Organisations are eligible to apply directly. National Portfolio Organisations can also apply to create new work with bids that create employment opportunities prioritised.A further round of the ACE programme ‘Discover Your Creative Practice’ will open in the autumn. This will make approximately £18m available for individuals looking to develop new creative skills that will help them to further develop their career.ACE will also be adding £2m into relevant benevolent funds to support those less well supported by the programmes outlined above, including stage managers and technicians.We are committed to continuing to work with the events sector to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.

Film: Scotland

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to ensure that the British Film Institute fulfils its responsibilities to support the Scottish film sector.

Caroline Dinenage: My department continues to work closely with its Arm’s Length Body, the British Film Institute, to ensure it meets the full range of its responsibilities, including to support the film sector nationwide. In its ongoing support for the Scottish film sector, the Government has worked with the BFI to ensure a wide range of funding and initiatives are available across Scottish talent development, production and heritage. In addition, recent Covid-secure guidance has been developed with input from across the nations to support in safely producing films in Scotland. Screen Scotland have been part of the Screen Sector Taskforce looking at the impact of Covid and recovery measures for the sector, in collaboration with DCMS and BFI.Examples of support that have been given to the Scottish film industry include the BFI Audience and Film Funds, which offer funding covering development, production, distribution and promotion, supporting Scottish films and Scottish audiences; and Film Hub Scotland, which receives an annual BFI Lottery award as part of the BFI Film Audience Network to increase and diversify Scottish audiences. In addition, young people in Scotland have access to the BFI Film Academy and Future Film offer, with four Scottish partners delivering short courses in 20/21 and a well-established annual Screen Craft Skills residential. Furthermore, Film City Futures and Glasgow Film were recently awarded £1m from the BFI and Screen Scotland to support new and emerging talent.Finally, in recent years the BFI worked in partnership with the Scottish Screen Archive in the Unlocking Film Heritage programme, which resulted in substantial digitisation of films from and about Scotland.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in her Department's human resources section in April 2020.

Greg Hands: The Department’s Human Resources (HR) function is responsible for supporting an international workforce of around 4,800 people, across both the Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF). There were 153.75 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff employed in the Department for International Trade Human Resources section in April 2020. This was made up of 130.05 FTE in the Department for International Trade’s HR and Organisational Development Directorate, and 23.70 FTE in UKEF’s Resourcing Division. This figure therefore includes UKEF staff, DIT payroll staff, as well as contractors and staff on loan from other government departments. DIT overseas-based staff are not included as they are recorded on Foreign Commonwealth and Development systems separately, but the HR function does not currently have any people deployed overseas.

Manufacturing Industries: Import Duties

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Government's proposed tariff structure on economic recovery for UK manufacturers after the transition period.

Greg Hands: The UK Global Tariff (UKGT) is a tariff schedule tailored to the UK economy as a whole and balances the interests of UK consumers, producers and our wider trade objectives. In designing the UKGT, we have assessed all available evidence submitted as part of the public consultation in depth and considered a range of factors, such as the five principles set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018.  We will publish more analysis in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the legislation, as is standard practice.

Palm Oil: Imports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of EU regulations on the import of palm oil on reducing deforestation; and whether the Government plans to bring forward similar legislative proposals for the UK after the transition period.

Greg Hands: Both the EU and the UK have sustainability criteria for biofuels. These have minimised the import of biofuels with a high risk of causing indirect land use change, such as from palm oil.On 25 August, the Government published a public consultation on a legislative proposal for due diligence on forest risk commodities, which could include palm oil.

UK Trade with EU

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many UK firms (a) exported to, (b) imported from and (c) exported to and imported from the EU in the 2019-20 financial year.

Graham Stuart: In 2019, 39,000 businesses only exported goods to the EU, 95,000 businesses only imported goods from the EU and 89,000 businesses exported and imported goods from the EU.Source: HMRC 2019 UK Importer and Exporter PopulationData is available by calendar year only.Data on businesses exporting services to the EU is not available.

Palm Oil: Imports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK's potential membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, what representations she has received from her international counterparts on the import of palm oil into the UK after the transition period.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she or her officials have had with representatives of the Malaysian and Indonesian Governments on the production of palm oil and the UK's potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government continues to engage with all Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) members on the United Kingdom’s potential accession – and my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade recently met High Commissioners, Ambassadors and senior officials from all CPTPP countries.We are in discussion with the Malaysian and Indonesian Governments in relation to the very important issue of palm oil supply chains separately, and are interested in the responses from the public consultation on due diligence requirements for commodities that risk our world’s rainforests, to help protect forests being illegally converted into agricultural land.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Personnel Management

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in his Department's human resources section in April 2020.

Luke Hall: As of 30 April 2020 the full time equivalent (FTE) staff employed in MHCLG’s human resources directorate totalled 62.6. This figure will include staff that do not work directly on HR functions, for example it will include an in-house shared service function and business management staff.This calculation for FTE uses the ONS definition which is all directly employed payroll staff employed on that date.

Parking: Large Goods Vehicles

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has identified sites for proposed lorry parks that he is seeking planning permission for under The Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020.

Christopher Pincher: Such sites are identified by Border Departments.

Parking: Large Goods Vehicles

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020, on the granting of planning permission for the use of land for lorry parks, what consultation with local authorities whose areas are affected by that statutory instrument took place before it was laid before Parliament on 1 September 2020.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020, what consultations were held with (a) Hull City Council and (b) East Riding of Yorkshire Council before this statutory instrument was laid before Parliament on 1 September 2020.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020, what consultations were held with the Humber Local Resilience Forum before that statutory instrument was laid before Parliament on the 1 September 2020.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department took to notify local authorities that they would be included in the The Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020.

Christopher Pincher: The Special Development Order requires Border Departments to discuss specific proposals with local authorities.